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THEY TOOK THEIR SNOW-SHOVELS AND TRIED TO MAKE A PATH TO 
THE HEN HOUSE 136 ) 





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COPYRIGHT, 1921, BY ELIZA ORNE WHITE 
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED 


PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 


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NOV 10 1921 


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TO MY YOUNG COUSINS 

CORNELIA AND CAROL 

THIS BOOK IS 

AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED 


CONTENTS 


I. The Moving 1 

II. A Cat in a Strange Garret 7 

III. Why Peggy wore Blue Frocks 15 

IV. Peggy goes for a Yeast-Cake 25 

V. At Clara’s House 88 

VI. Diana 46 

VII. The Canary-Bird 58 

VIII. The Reward 62 

IX. Choosing a Kitten 67 

X. The Wild Garden 76 

XI. The Geography Game 85 

XII. How Peggy spent her Money 95 

XIII. Mrs. Owen’s Surprise Party 104 

XIV. A Christmas Egg 118 

XV. The Great Storm 126 

XVI. Grandmother Owen’s Visit 141 


















PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


CHAPTER I 

THE MOVING 

Peggy, with flying yellow hair, was climbing the high 
stepladder in the library, getting down books for 
her mother to pack. She skipped up the stepladder 
as joyously as a kitten climbs a tree. Everything 
about Peggy seemed alive, from her gray eyes that 
met one’s glance so fearlessly, to her small feet that 
danced about the room between her trips up and 
down the stepladder. Her skirts were very short, and 
her legs were very long and thin, so that she reminded 
one of a young colt kicking up its heels for a scamper 
about the pasture. 

“Peggy, you will break your neck if you are not 
careful,” said her grandmother. “And don’t throw 
the books down in that way; see how carefully Alice 
puts them down.” 

Alice smiled at the compliment and showed her 
dimples. She was a pretty little thing with brown 
hair and big brown eyes. She was two years younger 
than her sister Peggy, and was as small for her age 
as Peggy was large for hers. She was taking the books 


2 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


from the lowest shelf, as she was afraid to climb 
the stepladder. 

“I’ll risk Peggy’s neck,” said her mother, as 
Peggy once more skipped up the stepladder. 

This time she put the books down more carefully. 

The family were moving from the large, old- 
fashioned house where the children had been born to 
a very small one, more than a mile farther from the 
village. Peggy and Alice were greatly interested in 
the moving. Their father ’s mother had come all the 
way from New York to help about it. 

Their father had been a country doctor with a 
large practice and he had gone into the war to save 
the lives of others; but the hospital where he was 
at work had been shelled, and he had lost his own 
life. This had happened almost at the end of the 
war. It seemed to the children a long time since the 
war was over, and a very long time since their father 
had gone overseas. 

Peggy and Alice had been very much overcome 
when they heard of their father’s death, but now 
the world was very pleasant again. Another doctor 
was coming to town, to move into their roomy old 
house and take the practice which had been their 
father ’s. 

Peggy looked out of the window at the garden. It 
looked its worst on this March day, for it was all 
patches of white and brown. There was not enough 
of the white snow for winter sports, nor was the 


THE MOVING 


S 


brown earth ready for planting seeds. Peggy was 
glad there were children in the doctor’s family be- 
cause they would be sure to enjoy the croquet ground 
and the apple trees. How she should miss the apple 
trees ! There was only one apple tree where they were 
going, but there was a cherry tree. Peggy’s face 
brightened when she thought of the cherry tree. And 
they were to have a garden full of vegetables, 

“Mary,” said the children’s grandmother to their 
mother, “I’ll give you a year to try your experiment; 
and remember, if you don’t succeed, my offer holds 
good. I’ll always have a room in my small apart- 
ment for one of the children; and Peggy is old enough 
to get a great deal of good from a New York school.” 

Peggy looked as if nothing would induce her to 
leave her mother. Not that she disliked her grand- 
mother. Peggy liked people of all ages. She did not 
like old ladies so well as people of her mother’s age, 
because the younger ones were so much more active; 
and she liked children better still, for the same reason; 
and boys even better than girls, because they never 
expected you to play dolls with them. Peggy did not 
care for dolls as Alice did. When the world was so 
full of live things that scampered and frisked, or 
flew or crawled, why tie one’s self down to make- 
believe people that could neither speak nor move? 
Pussy was much more interesting than any doll. 

Peggy looked at the furniture, standing forlornly 
about in strange places. Her own mahogany bureau 


4 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


was downstairs. “It looks for all the world,” said 
Peggy, “ like a cat in a strange garret.” She had read 
this phrase in a book the day before, and it took 
her fancy. And then she wondered how their own 
cat would feel in her new home. And there was 
not any garret in the tiny house where they were 
going. 

The cat walked in just then, but seeing the con- 
fusion she fled upstairs. She was a gray pussy, with 
darker gray stripes, and a pronounced purr that was 
almost as cozy as the sound of a teakettle. She 
had a pleasant habit of having young families of 
kittens, two or three times a year. The only draw- 
back was, the kittens had to be given away just as 
they got to the most interesting age. There were no 
kittens now, only pussy, whose whole name was 
Lady Jane Grey. 

Their grandmother was making a list of the books, 
for some of the boxes were to go to her in New York, 
others to the Town Library, while many of them they 
were to keep themselves. All the medical books were 
to be left in their father’s office for the new doctor to 
dispose of as he thought best. 

“Do you know, mother, how many children the 
doctor has, and whether they are boys or girls?” 
Peggy asked. 

“No, he just said ‘children’ in his letter.” 

“I hope there will be a girl, and that she will like 
to play with dolls,” said Alice. 


THE MOVING 


5 


“But you’ve Clara, I don’t see what more you 
want,” said Peggy. 

“But Clara is never here in the winter,” said Alice. 

That night, after the children had gone to bed, they 
began to talk about the doctor’s family. It was the 
last night they were to spend in the old house, and 
they felt a little sad as they climbed into the mahog- 
any four-poster bedstead, for the room looked deso- 
late. The curtains had been packed, and all the 
furniture was gone except the bed. 

“Anyway, we’ll be sleeping on it to-morrow night,” 
said Peggy. “We’ll have Roxanna Bedpost with us 
just the same.” 

She looked at the lower bedpost at her right that 
she had christened by this name when she was a tiny 
child, because her mother had hung Peggy’s blue 
sunbonnet on it. 

“Shut up your eyes, Peggy, and see things,” said 
Alice. “Perhaps you can see the children who are 
going to live here.” 

Peggy had a delightful way of seeing things that 
Alice could not see. She shut hex eyes up and thought 
hard and then she opened them and looked at the 
opposite wall. 

It seemed quite simple, but whenever Alice tried it 
she could see nothing. “Do you really see things, 
Peggy?” she once asked. 

“I see them in my mind’s eye,” said Peggy. 

“What do you see to-night, Peggy?” said Alice. 


6 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


“I see two children, a boy and a girl; and they are 
picking red apples in our orchard.’’ 

“In March?” 

“It’s not March in my mind’s eye. They are 
beautiful, big, red apples. The girl is a little bigger 
than you and a little smaller than me, so she’s just 
right for both of us to play with, and her name is 
Matilda Ann.” 

“I don’t think that is at all a pretty name.” 

“I did not say it was a pretty name; I just said her 
name was Matilda Ann.” 

“I hope it is n’t.” 

“Well, what do you guess it is?” 

“Oh, I don’t know.” 

“You must guess something.” 

“Oh, well, Fanny.” 

“Fanny I That’s a very stupid sort of name,” said 
Peggy. 

They were still talking about the possible names of 
the possible girl and boy when their mother came in 
to see if they were tucked up for the night. 

“Are you still awake? ” she asked. “ I wonder what 
you do find to talk about when you see each other al] 
day long.” 


CHAPTER II 

A CAT IN A STRANGE GARRET 

There were others who felt as if they were in a 
strange garret, after the moving, besides the cat. The 
children’s mother was very homesick, for she was 
tired out; and she felt sad and lonely in the small 
house where her husband had never lived. The 
children did not mind so much, but it was strange, 
when they waked in the morning, to see the unfamil- 
iar stretch of pasture from their window instead of 
the garden and the next house. 

But Pussy minded it so much that she slipped out 
while the others were having their breakfast. They 
were all so busy that no one missed her until dinner- 
time, and then Peggy and Alice looked everywhere in 
the small house and they called “Lady Jane” many 
times, but no little furry, gray pussy answered. 

Their grandmother had gone back to New York 
and their mother was too busy getting settled to hunt 
for the cat. 

“She’ll come back when she gets hungry,” she 
said. “I want you children to help me unpack. See 
these nice drawers for the linen.” 

“I don’t think they are half so nice as the linen 
closet in the other house,” said Alice. 


8 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


‘^Now, children,” said their mother, “no one ever 
said this house was so nice as the large one where you 
were born, and we can’t pretend life is so pleasant as 
if we had your father here with us; but we have a 
great deal to be thankful for. If we have n’t much 
money, we have health and strength and each other. 
Your father said to me when he went away: ‘Mary, 
if I don’t come back, I don’t want you and the 
children ever to forget me, but I want you to remem- 
ber all the happy times we have had together, and 
to think how glad I ’d be of all the happy times you ’d 
have by yourselves.’” 

The children got very much interested in arrang- 
ing the linen in the drawers. 

“Oh, Peggy, you are no housekeeper; the pillow- 
cases don’t go in that drawer,” said her mother. “ See 
how carefully Alice puts the towels in.” 

Alice smiled and showed her dimples, and Peggy 
stopped and gave Alice a hug. 

“Things seem just to slide out of my hands,” said 
Peggy; “and I can’t remember which drawer the 
things go in.” 

There was a cupboard where Alice’s dolls were to 
live, and it interested her greatly to get this apart- 
ment ready for them. So they all again forgot about 
Lady Jane Grey until supper- time. Their mother 
put bowls of milk on the table for the children, with 
plenty of bread and jam; and there was a big saucer 
of milk for Lady Jane, warmed just the way she liked 


A CAT IN A STRANGE GARRET 


9 


it. Again they called her, but she did not come. 
Peggy made a trip down cellar, thinking she might 
have hidden there, and she hunted the house from 
top to bottom, but there was no dainty Lady Jane 
to be seen. 

“She’ll come back sometime,” said their mother; 
but the children were not so sure of this. 

It seemed sad to go to bed without knowing what 
fate had befallen Lady Jane; but their mother was 
sure she would come back that night. 

In the morning Peggy ran downstairs eagerly 
before she was dressed. 

“Has she come, mother?” she asked. 

“Has who come?” said her mother, whose mind 
was on starting the kitchen fire. 

“Lady Jane.” 

“No, she has n’t come.” 

“And it is so wet,” said Peggy, as she looked at the 
falling rain; “she’ll get drenched without any rub- 
bers or raincoat.” 

“ You can be sure she is under shelter somewhere. 
A cat can always look out for herself.” 

“But, mother, I’m worried about her.” 

“I think,” said Mrs. Owen, as she put the oat- 
meal into the double-boiler, “ that she has gone back 
to her old home.” 

“But, mother dear, she couldn’t like strange 
people better than she likes us ! ” 

“Cats are strange creatures,” said Mrs. Owen. 


10 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


“ Run along and get dressed. After breakfast if the 
rain holds up you and Alice can run over to the Hor- 
tons ’ house and telephone to the Carters’, to see 
if she is there. I shall be glad when we get our tel- 
ephone in.” 

The rain did not stop, but the children were so 
persistent that after breakfast Mrs. Owen let them 
put on their rubbers and raincoats and run over to 
the Hortons ’ house. The house was up a long avenue 
of trees. On this March day there were no leaves 
on the trees, and the bare branches looked black 
against the gray sky as they were tossed about by 
the wind. There were patches of snow by the side 
of the road. It all looked very dismal, for the house 
was closed, as the family did not come back until 
June, and only the care-takers were living in the 
back part of the house. It was where Clara lived 
in the summer. She was the children’s most in- 
timate friend. She was a little more than a year 
younger than Peggy and about a year older than 
Alice. The children went around to the back door 
and asked if they could come in and telephone. 

“It is something very important or we would not 
have come,” said Peggy. 

“I hope your mother is n’t sick,” said Mrs. Jones. 

“No, it is about the cat.” 

“And you came out in all this rain about a cat? ” 

“She’s as dear to us as if she was our child,” said 
Alice. 


11 


A CAT IN A STRANGE GARRET 

“Well, I never!” said Mrs. Jones, as she led the 
way to the telephone room. 

Peggy called up their old number. It made her a 
little homesick as she did so. 

“Is Mrs. Carter there?” she asked as a shrill voice 
said “Hullo.” 

“It’s a boy’s voice,” said Peggy. “There’s one 
boy in the family. I’m glad of that.” 

She heard the boy call “Mother,” and presently 
Mrs. Carter came to the telephone. 

“Hullo,” said Mrs. Carter, in a warm voice that 
Peggy liked. 

“I’m Peggy Owen. Mother said I might come 
over and telephone you about the cat. She ’s lost — 
I mean the cat. We thought she might be at your 
house. She does n’t seem to like ours. Have you 
seen anything of a gray pussy with dark gray stripes?” 

“I really don’t know whether that one has been 
around or not. I’ll ask them in the kitchen. We’ve 
been feeding a lot of stray cats.” 

“You did n’t say enough about the way she looks. 
She mayjget her mixed with the gray tramp cat,” said 
Alice, taking the telephone from Peggy. 

“She’s two shades of gray,” she said to Mrs. 
Carter. “Such lovely dark stripes and then light 
ones; and there are thirteen stripes on her tail — 
first a dark and thjen a light, and so on; and her 
eyes are the shiniest things — most as bright aa 
lights, only they are a kind of green; and she has 


12 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


a purr you can hear all across the room. Her name 
is Lady Jane, and she’ll come for it.” 

Mrs. Carter came back to the telephone presently. 
“There has been a gray cat around,” she said, “but 
she is n’t here now. If she comes back I’ll send one 
of the boys up with her.” 

“One of the boys,” said Peggy to Alice, “so there 
must be two anyhow.” 

The day passed and nothing was heard of the cat, 
and once more the little girls had to go to bed with 
anxious hearts. It was still raining when the chil- 
dren waked up the next morning, and no pussy had 
yet appeared. They wanted to go back and hunt for 
her themselves, but it was too wet for so long a tramp, 
and, besides, Mrs. Owen was sure Mrs. Carter was too 
busy getting settled in her new house to want visitors. 

“You don’t seem a bit worried about Lady Jane, 
mother,” said Peggy. 

“I have a few other things to think about, and I 
am sure she is all right.” 

Tt was a three days’ storm, and it was so wet on 
Sunday that they did not go to church or Sunday 
School. The day seemed very long. kThey helped 
their mother get dinner and they washed and wiped 
the inside dishes for her. They both liked to wash 
better than to wipe — it was such fun to splash 
the mop about in the soapy water. 

“It is my turn to wash to-day,” Alice reminded 
Peggy. 


A CAT IN A STRANGE GARRET 


13 


“But you are so slow,” said Peggy. “I can do it a 
lot faster. However, it is your turn,” she said, hand- 
ing the mop to Alice with a little sigh. 

It was toward the end of the afternoon and they 
were beginning to get tired of reading when the door 
bell rang. 

“It is our first caller; go to the door, Peggy,” said 
Mrs. Owen. 

Alice followed Peggy as she ran to the door. As 
Peggy opened it, a sweep of wind and a swirl of rain 
came in. The wind was so strong it almost blew 
the door to. A freckled-faced boy with a pleasant 
smile and honest blue eyes was standing on the door- 
step. Oh, joy! He had a basket in his hand. 

“It’s some rain,” said the boy. 

“Oh, have you got our cat in that basket?” Peggy 
asked. 

“Now, what do you know about that!” said the 
boy. “Why should I know anything about your 
cat? Maybe I have cabbages in this basket.” 

“Cabbages wouldn’t mew,” said Peggy, as the 
occupant of the basket gave a long wail. 

“It’s our cat, I know her voice!” cried Alice in 
delight. 

“Won’t you come in and see mother?” Peggy 
asked, as the boy stepped inside the small entry 
and put his basket down. 

“Can’t stop.” He had pulled his cap off politely 
when he came into the house, and Peggy saw that 


14 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


his hair was as yellow as her own. She wished hers 
might have been cropped as short, 

“Oh, dear! what fun boys had! They could go 
out on the rainiest days.” 

The boy touched his cap and went quickly down 
the walk. Peggy’s glance followed him regretfully. 
He was a big boy ; he must be two years older than 
she was, just a nice size to play with. 

“And we never asked him his name or if he had 
brothers and sisters,” Alice said. 

It was a lost opportunity and the children both 
regretted it, but they had been too much taken up 
with the return of Lady Jane to think of anything 
else at the moment. They had opened the basket 
and Lady Jane was purring about the place. 

“You darling!” Alice cried as she stroked her 
gray striped coat. “You do like us best, don’t you, 
after all?” 

There was an odd expression in Lady Jane’s green 
eyes. If she could have spoken, she would have said, 
“I like old friends, but I do like old places better 
still.” And the very next morning she disappeared 
again. 


CHAPTER III 

WHY PEGGY WORE BLUE FROCKS 

Early in April there came a very hot day, and this 
reminded Mrs. Owen that she must be looking over 
the children ’s summer dresses to see what new ones 
they would need, for it would take some time to 
make them, with all the other work she had to do. 
She went up into the large store-closet, which was 
all they had in the way of an attic, and she unpacked 
the trunk that held the dresses. There were only 
four of Peggy ’s, for she was very hard on her clothes, 
and she had stained or torn several of them. There 
were six of Alice’s in excellent condition. They 
were a little short for her, but there were tucks that 
could be let down. Peggy had two white dresses, a 
pink one, and a plaid dress. She tried on one of the 
white dresses first and pranced about the room with it. 
Her legs looked longer than ever, for the skirt was 
several inches above her knees. 

“You look just like a mushroom, Peggy,” said 
Alice. 

“Oh, dear! I did n’t know I’d grown such a lot,” 
said Peggy ruefully, “but you can let down the tucks, 
mother,” she added hopefully. 

“But there aren’t any tucks. I let those down 
last summer.” 


16 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


‘‘I guess I’ll have to have that dress,” said Alice 
joyously. 

She was so fond of her sister that she liked Peggy’s 
clothes better than her own. 

“Oh, dear!” said Peggy. “I like it so much be- 
cause it ’s smocked. But I hope I can wear the dotted 
muslin. That’s my favorite dress.” 

But, alas, the dotted muslin was only half an 
inch longer than the cotton rep, and there were no 
tucks in that either. 

Peggy skipped about the room again, and she 
tried to persuade her mother that it would be possible 
for her to wear the dress. 

“I don’t mind if it is rather short, mother,” she 
said. 

“I can’t have you going around with skirts like 
a ballet dancer.” 

“But you could let the hem down, or put in inser- 
tion, or something,” said Peggy. 

“But the waist is too small for you, and the dress 
will be just right for Alice.” 

The pink dress and the plaid one were too small 
for Peggy, too, so Alice became the proud possessor 
of Peggy ’s frocks, which would fit her very well after 
tucks had been taken in them. 

“I’ve three pink dresses now and four white ones 
and two plaids and a yellow,” said Alice. 

“And I’ve nothing at all,” said Peggy. 

“It’s too bad,” said Alice, “but yours will all be 


new. 


WHY PEGGY WORE BLUE FROCKS 17 

The first chance Mrs. Owen had to go to the village 
she said she would buy the materials for Peggy’s 
summer frocks. 

“I’ve got to get something for working dresses 
for myself, too,” she said. 

She took the children with her, and they had a 
joyous time, for it was one of those sunshiny after- 
noons when everything was so gay and cheerful 
that it seemed to Peggy as if the whole world were 
smiling. The sun seemed positively to laugh, and 
the blue sky and the white clouds seemed almost 
as glad as he. Alice walked quietly along, taking 
hold of her mother’s hand; but Peggy had to run 
along ahead of them every now and then. She wanted 
to dance and shout with the joy of it all. 

“Oh, Mother, there’s Mrs. Butler and her canary- 
bird,” said Peggy, as they passed a small gray house. 
“Let’s stop and make her a call.” 

“Not to-day,” said Mrs. Owen. “We’ll never get 
our shopping done if we stop to call on all the neigh- 
bors.” 

When they came to the smoothly finished stone 
wall in front of the Thorntons’ large place, Peggy 
climbed up so she could have the pleasure of walking 
across it. 

“ Come, Alice,” she said, helping her small sister up. 

“Oh, children,” said their mother in despair, “we 
shall never get downtown.” 

But they did get there at last, although they met 


18 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


several of their neighbors on the road, and Peggy 
stopped to caress a black pussy-cat and make 
friends with a yellow collie dog. The shop seemed 
very dark after the brightness of the spring sun- 
shine outdoors. The saleswomen seemed sleepy and 
not at all interested in what they were selling. Peggy 
thought they probably did not live so far from the 
village; they could not have had such a joyous walk 
as they had had, or met so many friends. 

“Oh, that beautiful collie dog! How lucky the 
Thorntons were to have him! And the black pussy 
was a darling, not half so beautiful, of course, as 
Lady Jane, but still, a darling.” She sighed when 
she thought of Lady Jane. 

She had slipped away again to her old home, and a 
few days later the same boy had brought her back in 
the same basket. The children had not seen him, 
for they were at school when he came, and their 
mother did not ask him how many children there were 
in the family. She had discovered, however, that his 
name was Christopher. They had kept Pussy in the 
house since then, hoping in this way to get her used 
to the place. But she seemed very anxious to get out, 
and in this April weather Peggy did not feel it quite 
kind to keep her indoors. She would not like it her- 
self, and one should do as one would be done by. 

Peggy ’s mother went to the back of the store, where 
there was a man behind the counter who seemed more 
alive than the girls. Peggy followed her mother, but 


WHY PEGGY WORE BLUE FROCKS 19 

Alice’s attention had been caught by some doll car- 
riages. 

“I want you to show me something strong and 
serviceable for frocks for my little girl, who is very 
hard on her clothes,” said Mrs. Owen. 

Peggy hung her head. She wished her mother had 
not said that. The man did not look as if he ever 
could have been hard on his clothes, even when he 
was a small boy. 

“This plaid is a great favorite,” he said. 

Mrs. Owen asked the price, and it was too high. 
“Why, it is double what it was before the war,” she 
said. 

Everything was either too expensive or too frail. 
Mrs. Owen bought some white materials for best 
dresses for Peggy, but there seemed to be nothing 
in the shop that would do for common. 

“I am afraid I shall have to wait until later in the 
season,” said Mrs. Owen. “I suppose you’ll have 
new things in ?” 

“The new goods will be more expensive still.” 

Mrs. Owen sighed. There were drawbacks about 
having so little money. She had turned to leave the 
store when the man called after her: 

“Mrs. Owen, I have something on the top shelf I 
think may suit you. It’s strong as nails, and it’s 
cheap. It’s almost as strong as the stuff butcher’s 
frocks are made of.” 

Peggy gave a little cry of pleasure when she saw it, 


20 PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 

for it was such a delicious color. It made her think of 
the sky when it was a deep blue. Mrs. Owen was 
attracted to it because it was dark enough not to 
soil easily. But Peggy did not think of this; she just 
thought what a pleasure it would be to be dressed in 
something so pretty. It was so cheap that Mrs. Owen 
could hardly believe her ears when the man told her 
the price. 

“We got in a lot of the material before the prices 
went up,” said he. “It is entirely out of fashion now. 
Nobody wants it.” 

Peggy and her mother cared nothing about the 
fashion; and indeed they seemed to set the fashion, 
whatever they wore. 

“How many yards are there in the piece ?” Mrs. 
Owen asked. He told her and she made a rapid cal- 
culation. “I’ll take it all,” she said. 

The man could not conceal his surprise. “We 
only sell seven yards for a grown person and foim 
would do for her.” 

“I know, but I am going to make two dresses for 
myself and she will need four. It is so much cheaper 
and stronger than any of the other wash materials 
that I shall make all her dresses out of the same 
piece. She won’t mind having them all alike, will 
you, Peggy ?” 

“I’ll like it; it’s so pretty.” 

“Oh, please, mother, do make me one,” Alice 
begged. 


WHY PEGGY WORE BLUE FROCKS 21 


“I’m afraid you will have to be contented with the 
ten dresses you already have,” said her mother. “For, 
as I will have six dresses to make for Peggy and two 
for myself, I think that will be all I can manage.” 

“Perhaps one of my dolls can have a dress out of 
it,” Alice said hopefully. 

“Yes, I’ll cut out a dress for Belle, and I can 
teach you to make that so you can be sewing on it 
while I am making Peggy’s frocks.” 

But it was some time before Peggy began to wear 
them, for it took her mother a long time to make 
them. The very next afternoon, after the dinner 
dishes were washed, Mrs. Owen got out the blue 
material and she cut out a dress for Peggy, and then 
a small one for Belle. Alice was learning to hem and 
she took as careful stitches as a grown-up person. 
Peggy was divided between wanting to do what the 
others were doing and hating to be tied down. She 
made frequent trips to the kitchen for a drink of 
water and to see how Lady Jane was getting on. 

“You can overcast these sleeves, Peggy,” her 
mother said later in the afternoon. “That is much 
easier than hemming.” 

“It’s better than hemming,” Peggy said, “be- 
cause you can take such long spidery stitches. But 
I just hate sewing. I’m never going to sew when I 
grow up.” 

“But that is just the time you’ll have to sew,” 
said Alice. 


22 PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 

“No, I’m going to be a writing lady.” 

“But they have to wear just as many frocks as 
other people,” said Alice. 

“I’ll have them made for me. I’ll get such a lot 
of money by my writings.” 

“You may be married and have to make clothes 
for your children,” said her mother. 

“I’ll just have boys,” said Peggy. “That would be 
much the best. Then I could climb trees with them 
and climb over the roofs of houses, and nobody could 
say, ‘Peggy, you ’ll break your neck,’ because I’d be 
their mother, so everything I did would be all right.” 

“Oh, Peggy, you haven’t been putting yom mind 
on your work,” said her mother. “Pull out those 
last few stitches and do them over again, and think 
what you are doing and not how you will climb trees 
with your sons.” 

“I’ll have all girls,” said Alice. “Some will be 
dressed in pink and some in blue.” 

“And some in red and some in yellow, and some in 
purple and some in green,” added Peggy, “ and you ’ll 
be called the rainbow family. There, mother, is that 
any better ?” 

“A little better, but you don’t seem to make any 
two stitches quite the same length.” 

Peggy suddenly flung down her work. “There’s 
somebody at the back door,” she said. 

“It’s the grocer’s boy. You can go and get the 
things, only be sure not to let the cat out.” 


WHY PEGGY WORE BLUE FROCKS 23 


Peggy never quite knew how it happened. She did 
not mean to disobey her mother, but the afternoon 
was very pleasant and the kitchen was hot. It seemed 
cruel to keep a cat in the house. She held the door 
open and, while she was debating whether it would 
not be possible for her and the cat to take a walk 
together. Lady Jane slipped out. Something gray 
and fluffy seemed to fly along the grass and disappear 
under the fence. She had gone without waiting for 
their pleasant walk together. Instead they would 
have a mad race. Peggy liked the idea of a chase. 
It was much more exciting than overcasting seams. 

Peggy and the pussy-cat had a wild race, and more 
than one person looked back to see why Peggy Owen, 
with flying yellow hair, was running at such speed 
cross-lots, through back yards, and climbing over 
fences. Suddenly Peggy was caught, as she was 
scrambling over a fence, by a piece of barbed wire. 
Her one remaining winter school frock was torn 
past mending. “Oh, dear, what will mother say ?” 
said Peggy. 

The skirt was almost torn from the waist, and 
Peggy felt like a beggar-maid as she crept home. 
“Only, everybody will know I am not a beggar- 
maid,” thought Peggy. “They’ll all say, ‘What mis- 
chief has Peggy Owen been up to now ? ’ ” 

And her mother did say something very much like 
it when she came in. “Peggy, what have you been 
doing now ?” she asked. 


24 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


“I was hunting for Lady Jane,” she said breath- 
lessly. “She slipped out of the kitchen door.” 

“Peggy, how could you be so careless ?” said her 
mother. Then, as she noticed the confusion on 
Peggy’s face, she said, “Did you let her out ?” 

“Not exactly,” said Peggy. “I was thinking per- 
haps it would be nice for us to have a walk together, 
when she ran away.” 

“You don’t deserve to have any new clothes,” 
said her mother, as she looked at Peggy’s torn frock. 

“The blue ones will be stronger than this old 
thing,” said Peggy. 


CHAPTER IV 

PEGGY GOES FOR A YEAST-CAKE 

“Dear me,” said Mrs. Owen, one hot morning, a few 
days later, as she started to make bread, “this yeast- 
cake isn’t fresh. What a shame! Peggy, you’ll 
have to go down to the village and get me an- 
other.” 

Peggy was delighted at the chance for an errand. 
She never minded the heat, and she always liked to 
be out of doors better than in. It was Saturday morn- 
ing so there was no school. This heat in April was 
very trying to Mrs. Owen and Alice. 

“You’ll have to change your dress if you go to the 
village,” said Peggy’s mother. “You can put on 
one of your blue frocks if you like.” 

So a few minutes later Peggy in her blue frock 
went out into the spring sunshine, a very happy little 
girl, with a small covered basket in her hand, for 
her mother had told her she might get half a dozen 
lemons and some sugar and a box of fancy crackers, 
so they could have some lemonade and crackers in 
the afternoon. 

“Be sure you don’t forget the yeast-cake,” her 
mother said, “and don’t stop to talk to any strange 
children, and don’t call on any of the neighbors. 


26 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


Don’t run, it is too hot, but don’t waste any time on 
the road, for I want to get my bread started as soon 
as I can.” 

Peggy danced along the road in spite of the heat, 
for it was a happy thing to be alive. She had not 
gone far when she saw a boy coming out of a cross- 
road. It was Christopher Carter, and he too had 
a covered basket in his hand. 

“Hullo!” said Peggy. 

“Hullo!” said Christopher. He joined her as he 
spoke. 

“What have you got in your basket ?” Peggy 
asked with interest. 

“Butter and eggs from the Miller farm. What 
have you got in yours ?” 

“Nothing. Mother’s sent me to the grocery store 
to get some things.” 

“How’s the cat ?” he asked. 

“She’s all right, only we have to keep her shut up, 
for if we let her out she’d go straight to your house. 
I can’t think why she likes you better than us.” 

“She gets lots of scraps of fish and meat, because 
we are such a big family; and then I suppose she 
likes her own old home, just as a person would.” 

“I know, but Alice is so crazy about her: Alice is 
my sister,” she explained. 

“My sister is just as crazy about her.” 

“So you’ve got a sister ? I thought you had, and 
I guessed her name was Matilda Ann.” 


PEGGY GOES FOR A YEAST-CAKE 27 

“Matilda Ann! What an awful name! What made 
you think her name was Matilda Ann ? ” 

“I don’t know. It just came into my head that 
her name was Matilda Ann.’’ 

“Well, it is n’t.” 

“Alice guessed it was Fanny,” Peggy hastened to 
add, hoping that the credit of the family might be 
restored. 

“It is n’t Fanny either. You could guess and guess 
and you’d never guess it. It’s such an unusual 
name.” 

Peggy was full of interest. She guessed several un- 
common names, but they were all of them wrong. 

“What letter does it begin with?” she asked fi- 
nally. 

“It begins with a D.” 

“Dorothy ?” 

“No, that’s a very common name. I know lots 
of Dorothys.” 

“Doris ?” 

“That is n’t uncommon, either. I know two Dor- 
ises.” 

“Dora ?” 

“That is n’t uncommon, either. I know some 
Doras.” 

Peggy was amazed at the size of the acquaintance 
of this boy who had come from the city, and she was 
very envious. She wished she knew all those Doro- 
thys and Dorises and Doras. She wanted to hear 


28 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


all about each one of them. But he did not want to 
take the trouble to tell her about them. 

“Guess again/’ he said. 

“I can’t think of any more girls’ names beginning 
with a D, except Dorcas, in the Bible.” 

“It isn’t Dorcas.” 

“Delia?” 

“No.” 

“You’ll have to tell me; I can’t think of another 
thing.” 

“Her name is Diana.” 

“Diana! What a pretty name ! Is she pretty ?” 

“She’s all right,” the boy said heartily; “only she 
is n’t very strong ; and she has to stay in bed a lot when 
she is sick, and the cat amused her. She came and 
would get on the bed and would curl down by her.” 

“She would ? Mother would never let her go into 
our bedrooms.” 

Peggy was beginning to see why Lady Jane liked 
to live with the Carters. But she had a pang of 
jealousy when she thought of that adorable gray 
striped pussy, with her soft fur and her greenish eyes, 
curling down contentedly and giving her cheerful 
purr while she was stroked by another little girl. 

“Is she the only sister you’ve got ?” Peggy asked. 

“Yes.” 

“Have you only one brother ?” 

“That’s all. He’s older than me. He’s some bro- 
ther,” he added proudly. “He writes poetry.” 


PEGGY GOES FOR A YEAST-CAKE 


29 


“Poetry ? I write it too,” said Peggy; “only mine 
is just nursery rhymes to amuse Alice, about bees 
and hens and things.” 

“Tom is writing a poem about you.” 

“About me? ” Peggy was deeply interested. “ Can 
you say any of it ?” 

Christopher became very red and looked confused. 
“I can’t remember it,” he said. 

“You must remember some of it.” 

She persisted until she wrung from him the con- 
fession that he could remember one line, and she 
teased and teased him to repeat it until he said, 
“All right, if you must hear it, I suppose you must: 
‘Peggy, Peggy, long and leggy.’ It gets nicer as it 
goes on, but that’s all I can remember.” 

Peggy looked down at her long legs thoughtfully. 
The poem was a distinct shock. She had never had 
one written to her before. 

“If he’s like most boys I guess he’s longer and 
leggier than I am,” she said. 

“You are right there, he is.” 

“I’m glad I have long legs,” said Peggy. “They 
are so useful when you are climbing trees.” 

Christopher looked at her with new interest. “Do 
you like to climb trees ?” he asked. 

“I just love to,” said Peggy. 

They were coming to the stone wall that enclosed 
the Thornton place. Peggy climbed up and began to 
walk across it. At one end was a pine tree, with con- 


so 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


venient branches that she had often longed to climb. 
It looked very tall and symmetrical with its spreading 
green branches against the heavenly blue of the sky. 

She could never quite remember whether it was she 
or Christopher who first suggested climbing the tree. 
But they hid their baskets on the other side of the 
wall, and presently she and Christopher were climb- 
ing quickly from branch to branch. Peggy had never 
had a more blissful time. She had often envied Lady 
Jane her power to scramble up trees with no mother at 
hand to tell her to come down, or to warn her against 
spoiling her frock. But now she envied nobody. 
It was too wonderful to be sitting in the topmost 
branches of that pine tree. But the thought of Lady 
Jane’s furry garment made her look down at her less 
substantial frock, and, to her dismay, she saw a long 
streak on it. She put her hand down and it felt 
sticky. 

“Oh, dear,” she said, “I’ve got some of the pitch 
from the pine all over my dress ! Oh, dear, what will 
mother say? She told me to be sure not to stop on 
the way, and not to talk to any strange children.” 

“I’m not a strange child,” said Christopher. “She 
would n’t mind your talking to me.” 

“Yes, but I have stopped on the way. I’ll have to 
hurry,” she said. “But, oh, dear, I ’m afraid my dress 
is spoiled! Oh, what will mother say? I’ve only 
worn it one other time, and she ’s only got one more 
of these blue frocks finished.” 




PEGGY GOES FOR A YEAST-CAKE SI 

‘‘Only one morel How many are you going to 
have ?” 

“Four,” said Peggy. She glanced up at him, and 
he looked as if he, too, would be hard on his clothes 
and would have some sympathy for her, so she added : 
“ You see, it does n’t tear easily. The man in the shop 
said it was as strong as nails. I am always spoiling 
my things.” 

He looked down at the long smear with genuine 
concern. “If I had n’t come along it would n’t have 
happened,” he said. “I’ll take you round to Aunt 
Betsy’s. She ’s got stuff that takes out all kinds of 
spots. She ’s got them out for me.” 

“Is your Aunt Betsy the same as Clara’s Aunt 
Betsy ?” Peggy asked. 

“My Aunt Betsy is father’s aunt,” he said. 
“That’s the reason we came here to live. She told 
us your house was going to be sold and there was n’t 
any good doctor here any more.” 

They turned down a side street. “ That ’s the house 
she lives in,” he said, pointing to a small white cot- 
tage with green blinds. 

“Oh, yes, I know her,” said Peggy. “She ’s Miss 
Betsy Porter.” 

Aunt Betsy was in her pleasant kitchen taking 
something with a delicious, spicy smell out of the 
oven. She came to the door and asked the children to 
come in. She was tall and thin, with gray hair and 
dark eyes. Peggy thought of her as an old lady, but 


S2 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


much more interesting than old ladies usually were. 
There always seemed to be something very nice in the 
way of food at her house, no matter at what time one 
arrived. 

“Now you children must each have a piece of my 
gingerbread,” she said. “I’ve just taken it out of 
the oven.” 

Miss Betsy Porter was deeply interested in the 
stain on Peggy’s frock. 

“That’s a very enticing tree to climb,” she said, 
when the children had told her the whole story. “I 
climbed it once when I was a little girl.” 

Peggy looked with wonder into the kindly face of 
Aunt Betsy, with its many lines. It seemed so im- 
possible to think that she had ever been a little girl 
climbing trees. 

“I’ve got some stuff here that will take that 
out,” said Aunt Betsy, going to a cupboard in the 
other room. “ It would be a great pity for you to spoil 
that pretty dress.” 

There was a jet-black cat curled up on the red 
bricks of the kitchen hearth. After the spots had 
been taken out, Peggy went over to make friends 
with the cat. It did not seem polite to eat and run 
when Miss Betsy had been so kind about taking the 
stain out of her dress, so Peggy stayed to make a call, 
after the gingerbread had been eaten. And she and 
Christopher told her all about Lady Jane Grey, and 
how she lived first at one house and then at the other. 


PEGGY GOES FOR A YEAST-CAKE 


33 


Finally, the striking of a clock made Peggy realize 
that the morning was slipping away. 

“I guess I’ll have to be going now,” said Peggy, 
“for mother told me to hurry and not to stop on the 
way. Oh, dear, what did I do with my basket ? ” 

“You did n’t have any basket when you came in 
here,” said Miss Betsy. 

“We left our baskets behind the stone wall,” said 
Christopher. “I forgot all about them. I’ll run back 
and get them.” 

“I’ll run, too,” said Peggy. “I guess I can run as 
fast as you can.” 

“It’s too hot a morning to run, children,” Miss 
Betsy called after them. 

But they were already some distance away. Chris- 
topher in his brown suit was a little ahead, but he 
was closely followed by Peggy in her blue frock, with 
her flying yellow hair, and her long, slim legs. 

The children gathered up their baskets and Peggy 
started to go to the grocery store when her attention 
was caught by the melodious singing of Mrs. But- 
ler’s canary-bird. “He’s crazy about being alive, 
just as I am,” thought Peggy. “I wish I could sing 
like that.” 

“I must just go and say good-morning to Mrs. 
Butler. See, she ’s got the window open and the cage 
hanging there. Don’t you wish you could sing like a 
canary-bird .^” 

“No, I don’t. What strange things you do think 
up!” 


34 PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 

“Well, I’d like to sing like one,” said Peggy, be- 
cause it sounds so joyous, and there’s never anything 
I can do to show how joyous I feel.” 

Mrs. Butler came to the open window, to speak to 
the children. She did n’t look at all joyous, for she 
had been having rheumatism, but this warm day 
made her feel better. 

“Won’t you come in ?” she asked. “I’ve just 
baked some gingerbread. You must be hungry. 
Come in and let me give you some.” 

Peggy was about to say that they had already had 
some gingerbread, but she had only had one piece, 
and it seemed to make her hungry for more. She 
knew she ought not to stop again, but the temptation 
was too great. So they went into Mrs. Butler’s cool 
parlor. This time it was crisp, thin gingerbread. One 
could eat several pieces and it seemed nothing at all. 
And all the time, the canary-bird in the sunshine was 
singing his glad song, “Spring is coming, spring is 
really coming,” he seemed to say, “and there will be 
daffodils out, and tulips and Mayflowers. And the 
days will grow longer and longer, and more and more 
sunshiny.” A clock on the mantelpiece struck the 
half-hour. That was not a joyous sound. 

“I guess I ought to be going,” said Peggy. “Mo- 
ther told me to hurry and not to stop on the way.” 

“Mother told me she was in a hurry for the but- 
ter and eggs,” said Christopher. “I’ll have to go 
right home.’^ 


PEGGY GOES FOR A YEAST-CAKE 


S5 


Christopher left Peggy when they came to her old 
house, which was now his, and she felt a little pang 
of regret when she saw how pleasant it looked with 
its new coat of paint, behind the two horse-chestnut 
trees, which would soon be coming into blossom. At 
one of the upper windows she saw a boy who she was 
sure must be the poet, and she hurried by, very con- 
scious of her long legs. 

The grocery store was a place full of interest — 
there were such delightful things to be seen. There 
was a box full of oranges and another full of grape- 
fruit, and a lady was buying some raisins. Peggy 
was sure her mother would like some raisins if she 
had only happened to remember about them, and it 
would be such a good chance to get some oranges and 
grapefruit. But she remembered that her mother 
had not liked it at all when she had brought back 
some oranges once that she had not been told to 
order, so she turned regretfully from the oranges 
and grape-fruit to the lemons that were in another 
box. 

“I’d like six lemons, please,” she said to the clerk, 
“and two pounds of sugar and a box of Butter Thins.” 

“Is that all ?” he asked. 

“Yes,” said Peggy. She never once thought of the 
yeast-cake, for so many exciting things had happened 
since she left home. 

When she reached the house her mother said, 
“What have you been doing, Peggy ? You are an 


36 PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 

hour and a half late. There is no use now in start- 
ing my bread before night.” 

It was then that Peggy remembered the yeast- 
cake. She turned red and looked very imhappy. 

“Mother, I forgot all about the yeast-cake,” she 
confessed miserably. remembered everything 

else.” 

“You remembered all the things you wanted your- 
self, but the one thing you were sent for, the only im- 
portant thing, you forgot. I wonder what I can do to 
make you less careless. What is this smell ? Why, 
it comes from your frock! Peggy, what mischief have 
you been in now ?” 

Peggy and her mother were intimate friends, and 
they shared each other’s confidence, but Peggy had 
not intended to tell her about the frock until the next 
day. However, there was no escape now. 

“Christopher and I climbed the pine tree, the one 
by the Thornton place, and I got pitch all over me, 
and I thought you’d be so discouraged that he took 
me to his Aunt Betsy’s house and she got the spots 
out.” 

“I told you not to stop to talk to any children.” 

“You said ‘strange children.’ He wasn’t 
‘strange.’” 

When Mrs. Owen had heard the whole history of 
the morning, she said: “Now Peggy, I think you 
ought to be punished in some way. While you were 
out Mrs. Horton telephoned to say that she and 


PEGGY GOES FOR A YEAST CAKE 


37 


Miss Rand and Clara had come up to spend part of 
the Easter vacation. She wants you and Alice to 
come over and play with Clara this afternoon. I 
think Alice had better go without you.” 

“Oh, mother,” Alice protested, “that would be 
punishing Clara and me too.” 

“I think it would be too awful a punishment,” 
said Peggy. 

“Yes, I suppose it would,” said Mrs. Owen 
thoughtfully. She was a very just mother, and Peggy 
always felt her punishments were deserved. 

“I can’t let it go and do nothing about it,” said 
Mrs. Owen. “I tell you what I’ll do. I’ll go over to 
Mrs. Horton’s with Alice and leave you to keep 
house, Peggy, until I come back. Old Michael may 
come with some seed catalogues. If he does you can 
keep him until I get back. As soon as I do, you can 
run right down for the yeast-cake, and this time I am 
sure you will not stop on the way. Then you can 
go to Clara’s for what is left of the afternoon.” 


CHAPTER V 

AT CLARA’S HOUSE 

Peggy was walking up the long avenue that led to 
Clara’s house. She had had a wonderful afternoon. 
“Only I haven’t been punished at all,” thought 
Peggy. This was because old Michael had arrived 
with his seed catalogues soon after her mother left, 
and, as he was one of her best friends, Peggy was 
very happy. 

“Mother will be back soon,” said Peggy. “Let’s 
play that I am mother, and we’ll look at all the pic- 
tures of flowers and vegetables and mark^the ones 
I want, just as she does.” 

Old Michael was quite ready to play the game, only 
he said it might be confusing to her mother if they 
marked the catalogues; so Peggy got a sheet of her 
own best note-paper, with some children in colored 
frocks at the top of it. 

“It’s a pity to waste that good paper,” said he. 

“It’s my own paper, Mr. Farrell,” said Peggy, in 
a grown-up voice. “You forget that I am Mrs. Owen 
and can do as I please.” 

“Sure enough, ma’am, I did forget,” he said as he 
looked at the small lady in her blue frock. 

“Peonies, poppies, portulaca,” said Peggy; ‘‘we’ll 


AT CLARA’S HOUSE 39 

have a lot of all of those, Mr. Farrell. And we’ll have 
the poppies planted in a lovely ring.” 

“It was vegetables we were to talk about to-day, 
ma’am,” said Mr. Farrell respectfully. “How many 
rows of string-beans do you want to start with, and 
how many butter-beans ? And are you planning to 
have peas and corn and tomatoes ? ” 

“Mother is planning to can things to sell,” Peggy 
began. “Oh, dear, I forgot I was mother! I think a 
hundred rows of string-beans will be enough to start 
with, Mr. Farrell. I am afraid that is all my children 
can take care of. They are to help me with the garden. 
We have n’t much money; and we have to earn some 
or Peggy may have to go to live with her grand- 
mother, and I just could n’t stand that. I could not 
be separated from my child; and Peggy and Alice 
must always be together. Perhaps you can’t under- 
stand this, Mr. Farrell, never having been a mother 
yourself. It is no laughing matter,” she said, looking 
at old Michael reprovingly. 

Her mother came a great deal too soon; and she 
did not approve of all of Peggy’s suggestions about 
the garden. “Run along now, Peggy, and get the 
yeast-cake, and don’t bother us any more,” she said 
unfeelingly. 

Surely no little girl had ever gone to the village and 
back so quickly as Peggy went. She resisted the temp- 
tation to get two yeast-cakes, for fear one might 
not be fresh, thinking it wiser to do exactly as her 
mother said. 


40 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


And now, as she was walking between the rows of 
trees, she could hardly wait to see Clara. She had 
not seen her since Thanksgiving Day. 

There were three men at work at the Hortons* 
place, raking leaves and uncovering the bushes in the 
rose garden. Peggy was glad they did not have so 
many people at work. It was much more fun doing 
a lot of the work one’s self and talking things over 
with old Michael. Mrs. Horton was talking with the 
man in the rose garden. He looked cross as if he did 
not like to be interrupted. Mrs. Horton was short 
and plump, with beautifully fitting clothes, but she 
never looked half so nice, in spite of them, as Peggy’s 
mother did in her oldest dresses, for Mrs. Owen car- 
ried her head as if she were the equal of any one 
in the land. 

Mrs. Horton looked pleased when she saw Peggy. 
She shook hands with her and said how tall she had 
grown. Peggy was tired of hearing this. And then 
she told her that the children were up in the apple 
tree. “You can go right through the house and out 
at the other door,” she said. “The path is too 
muddy Miss Rand will let you in. We are camp- 
ing out; we haven’t brought any of the servants 
with us.” 

They only had the care-taker and her husband 
and these men on the place. If this was camping out, 
Peggy wondered what she and her mother and Alice 
were doing, with nobody but themselves to do any- 


AT CLARA’S HOUSE 41 

thing, except old Michael or Mrs. Crozier for an oc- 
casional day. 

Miss Rand opened the door for Peggy. She was 
a small, slim little thing, with big frightened eyes 
with red rims. She looked as if she had been crying. 
Peggy wondered what the trouble was. She felt 
sorry for her, so she gave her a kiss and a big hug 
and said how glad she was to see her. And Miss 
Rand smiled and her face looked as if the sun had 
come out. She was very nice-looking when she smiled. 

“You are the same old Peggy,” said Miss Rand, 
and Peggy was so grateful to her for not saying how 
tall she had grown that she stopped and told her 
all about Lady Jane and how she lived first at one 
house and then at the other; for Miss Rand had a 
heart for cats, and it was a trial to her that Mrs. 
Horton would never have one. 

Speaking of Lady Jane, Peggy had an awful feel- 
ing that she had slipped out of the kitchen door when 
old Michael came in. “I did n’t see her after he left 
when I went into the kitchen for a drink of water,” 
said Peggy. “Would n’t that be too bad ?” 

“It would be nice for Diana to have a little visit 
from her,” said Miss Rand. 

“ Do you know Diana.^ ” 

“Yes, I used to teach in a school near where they 
lived. She came to school when she was well enough, 
and when she was n’t I gave her lessons at home. She 
is a dear child.” 


42 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


But Peggy was getting too impatient to see Clara 
to stop to hear more about Diana. So she went 
through the wide hall and out of the other door to the 
brick terrace and down the steps that led to the for- 
mal garden and the orchard beyond. A peacock was 
strutting about as if he owned the place. His tail 
looked so very beautiful that Peggy felt a little 
envious. “I wish people could wear ready-made 
clothes as lovely as his,” she thought. “They are 
much nicer than my blue frocks, and they can never 

get spoiled.” 

She ran quickly along past the pool, where the 
water-lilies would blossom later on, to the orchard. 
In one of the nearest apple trees there was a platform 
built around it with a flight of steps leading up to it. 
It was what the children called the apple tree house. 
Here Clara and Alice were playing dolls. Peggy could 
seldom be induced to play dolls. She ran up the steps 
and made a dash for Clara. Clara, in a lilac frock, 
was sitting primly on one of the wooden chairs with 
which the platform was furnished. Her hair was a 
darker brown than Alice’s, and her face had the pallor 
of the city child who has lived indoors all winter. She 
was rather a stiff little girl in her manners, and how- 
ever glad she might feel inside at seeing Peggy again, 
she did not show it. She submitted to being kissed 
and hugged gravely as if she were taking a doctor’s 
prescription, and she kissed Peggy’s cheek with a 
gentle peck. 


AT CLARA’S HOUSE 


43 


“Dear me, but you have grown a lot,” said 
Clara. 

“Well, I can’t help it if I have,” said Peggy. 

She felt cross and a little hurt because Clara had 
not seemed any more glad to see her when she had 
been just crazy to see Clara. Miss Rand had been de- 
lighted to see her, and even Mrs. Horton had seemed 
more glad than Clara. Only the peacock and Clara 
had seemed proud. Perhaps Clara had been afraid 
Peggy would rumple her dress. It was a very lovely 
shimmery dress with smocking. Peggy liked dresses 
that were smocked. She seated herself on a branch of 
the apple tree and began to swing back and forth. 
She was never shy herself, so it did not occur to her 
that Clara was shy. There did not seem to be any- 
thing to say, and it seemed a long, long time since 
Thanksgiving Day, when she had last seen Clara, 
and as if they would have to get acquainted all over 
again. 

“Did you have a nice journey?” said Peggy. 

“No, horrid I I’m always car-sick. Father’s com- 
ing for us and we are going back in the automobile.’^ 

“That will be great fun,” said Peggy. 

“It will be better than the train,” said Clara, “but 
it’s a long ride, and I always get awfully tired.” 

“Do you?” said Peggy, swinging back and fortt 
again. 

“How long your legs are,” said Clara. 

Peggy stopped short in her swinging. “If you say 


44 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


anything about my legs I shall go crazy/’ she an- 
nounced. Then she climbed as high in the apple tree 
as she could get and dared them to come and join her. 
“Come up into my house, you short-legged people,” 
she called down. “ I have a room in a tower and there 
are windows in it, and I can see all over the place. 
Come up here — why don’t you come?” 

“Don’t be cross, Peggy,” ^aid Alice. “You know 
I am scared to, and Clara would spoil her dress if she 
climbed up there.” 

“What are dresses for if you can’t climb trees in 
them?” Peggy called down. 

“ I wish I had a frock like yours, it is such a pretty 
color,” said Clara, who always liked other people’s 
things better than her own. 

The compliment to her dress restored Peggy’s good 
humor. She was very seldom cross, and she felt 
thoroughly ashamed of herself. So she condescended 
to play dolls with Clara and Alice, and there was no 
fun so great as to have Peggy play dolls. She put 
them through such adventures and made them have 
such narrow escapes that the little mothers were posi- 
tively thrilled. So it was a very happy afternoon 
for every one, even for Miss Rand, who came out just 
before it was time for the children to go home, with a 
tray on which there was a pitcher of something nice 
and cold that tasted of orange, and some small dough- 
nuts. Miss Rand sat down on an apple branch, which 
seat she preferred to a chair, and she sang for them. 


AT CLARA’S HOUSE 


45 


at Peggy’s request, some Scotch songs, in a sweet 
contralto voice. 

“ It has been a nice afternoon,” said Peggy, as she 
kissed Clara good-bye, and this time Clara gave her a 
most responsive kiss. 


CHAPTER VI 

DIANA 

Peggy did n6t think of Lady Jane again until supper- 
time, when Mrs. Owen said to Alice, “ I Ve warmed 
some milk for the cat. It is in the blue pitcher; you 
can turn it into her saucer.” 

Peggy kept very still. She hoped against hope that 
her furry little gray friend would come at the sound 
of her name. “ I can’t find her anywhere, mother,” 
said Alice. 

“ I have n’t seen her all the afternoon, now I think 
of it,” said Mrs. Owen. “Did you see her, Peggy? 
Do you suppose she could have slipped out when 
Michael Farrell came in? ” 

“I am afraid she did, mother,” said Peggy. 

“Well, Peggy Owen,” said Alice, “I never knew 
any one as careless as you are. You ought to be 
punished.” 

“ You are not my mother,” said Peggy. 

“It is a very serious matter,” and Alice gave a wise 
shake to her small head. “It is the second time 
you ’ve let her get out.” 

“Well,” said Mrs. Owen, “if she is so anxious to 
live at the other house and they want to keep her, 
§iippose we let them have her? The other day when 


DIANA 


47 


I called, Mrs. Carter told me how fond her little girl 
was of her, and the child has n’t been well.” 

“Give up Lady Jane!” cried Peggy in dismay. 

“Mother, what are you thinking of!” said Alice. 
“She’s one of the family. Would you give me up if I 
kept going back to the Carters’?” 

“ Certainly not; but that is entirely different.” 

“I love Lady Jane just as much as you love me, 
mother,” said Alice. 

“That is impossible. Don’t talk such nonsense,” 
said her mother. 

It seemed an extreme statement, even to Peggy. 
“Do you love her as much as you love mother?” she 
asked. 

Alice paused to consider. 

“Don’t ask her such a trying question, Peggy. 
She would probably find it a little less convenient to 
live without me than without the cat; but if you chil- 
dren care so much about her you can go and get her. 
It is too much to expect them to send her back again.” 

Mrs. Owen telephoned to Mrs. Carter and found 
that the cat had been spending the afternoon with 
them. 

“I won’t trouble you to send her back,” said Mrs. 
Owen. “ The children will go for her to-morrow after- 
noon.” 

The next day Peggy and Alice could hardly wait to 
finish their dinner, they were so eager to go for Lady 
Jane and get back in time to spend a long afternoon 


48 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


with Clara. As they came near the Carters’ house, 
they saw Christopher just coming out of the gate. 

“So you are going to take the cat back again?” he 
said disapprovingly, as he looked at the basket. 

“She’s our cat,” Alice said sweetly, but very 
firmly. 

Christopher looked down at Alice, who smiled up 
at him and showed her dimples. 

“Yes, of course, she is your cat,” he said; for no- 
body could resist Alice. “But it seems too bad to 
yank her out every time she comes back to her old 
place.” 

“We’ve had her a very long time,” said Alice. 
“I can hardly remember anything before we had 
her.” 

“She must be a very old cat,” said Christopher, 
laughing. 

It seemed strange to ring the doorbell of their own 
old house. The front door was painted green now 
and it had a shiny brass knocker. The oflSce door was 
green, too. It was sad not to see their dear father ’s 
name there any more. “Dr. T. H. Carter” seemed 
very unnatural. The grass was beginning to grow 
green, and the snowdrops and crocuses were in blos- 
som by the front door. Mrs. Carter opened the door 
for them herself. She looked so pleasant that Peggy 
wanted to kiss her. 

“I know you’ve come for Lady Jane,” she said, 
glancing at the basket. “She’s out calling this after- 


DIANA 


49 


noon, but I’m sure she’ll be in before long. While 
you are waiting for her you can go up and see Diana. 
She is expecting you. You can go upstairs; she is 
out on the piazza.” 

Everything seemed strange and yet familiar about 
the house. There was a new paper in the hall, and 
the floor and the stairs had been done over. They 
went out on the upper side piazza, which was glassed 
in, and here Diana was lying in a hammock that 
looked almost like a bed. Peggy loved Diana the mo- 
ment she saw her. She had the same friendly face 
that Mrs. Carter had. Her hair was a sunshiny brown 
and so were her eyes, and her face, too, was a warm 
color, as if she had been out of doors a great deal. 
She had on a pale green wrapper with pink roses and 
green leaves embroidered on it. Peggy thought she 
had never seen anything so sweet in her life as Diana 
was, lying there in her green wrapper. She seemed 
a part of the pleasant springtime. Peggy noticed a 
copy of ‘‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” lying 
on the hammock. This was one of her favorite books, 
and she began to talk about it at once. 

Alice’s attention was caught by the sight of a 
flaxen-haired doll lying beside Diana in the hammock. 
“So you like dolls?” Alice said. 

“I just love them,” said Diana. 

“So do I,” said Alice. 

And Peggy felt quite left out. 

“What’s her name?” Alice asked. 


50 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


“Alice.” 

“That’s my name.” 

' “I named her for the ‘Wonderland Alice.’” 

“Oh, but now she must be my namesake. I’ll be 
her aunt. She can call me ‘Aunt Alice.’” 

Peggy picked up “Alice’s Adventures in Wonder- 
land” while Diana and Alice made friends over the 
doll. 

“Doesn’t your sister like to play dolls.^” asked 
Diana. 

“No,” said Alice, “and I don’t see why, for she 
makes up such exciting things when she does play. 
Yesterday when we played with Clara she had the 
dolls fly in an aeroplane, and she took them up into 
the highest branch of the apple tree.” 

“Oh, do play with us now,” Diana begged. 

So Peggy good-naturedly put down her book, and 
Alice, the doll, had never had so many exciting ad- 
ventures in all her young life. They were so busy 
playing they did not any of them hear Lady Jane’s 
quiet footsteps as she climbed the rose trellis. Peggy 
saw her first, a furry, gray ball, poised lightly on the 
piazza rail. Alice saw her give a spring through the 
open pane of glass and land on the hammock. She 
was giving her joyous tea-kettle purr, and, oh, it was 
too much to bear, she was actually licking Diana’s 
hand. 

“Darling pussy,” said Diana. She held her lov- 
ingly against her shoulder, and stroked her gray back. 


DIANA 51 

Alice could hardly bear it. “Lady Jane, I am here,” 
she said. 

But Lady Jane did not stir. Diana moved her into 
a more comfortable position, and she curled herself 
down for a nap. 

Alice could bear it no longer. She went over, and, 
picking her up, she said, “You are going to stay with 
me.” 

But Lady Jane scratched Alice’s hands in her de- 
sire to escape, and gave a flying leap back to the 
hammock. 

Peggy almost decided to take her mother’s advice 
and let Diana keep the cat. She seemed to love her so 
very much, and to have so much less to make her 
happy than they had. It must be hard to lie still 
instead of being able to frisk about wherever one 
pleased. And yet, Diana looked happy. She did n’t 
see why; she knew she could not be happy if she had 
to keep still like that. 

“I think we ought to be going now,” said Peggy, 
“because we told Clara we’d come early. We might 
leave Lady Jane to make Diana a little visit.” This 
seemed a good compromise. 

“No,” said Alice, with decision, “I want to take 
her back right off now.” 

So Peggy helped Alice put the struggling cat into 
the basket. They shut the cover down tight, pay- 
ing no attention to Lady Jane’s dismal mews. 

“I wish you did n’t have to go,” said Diana, a 


52 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


little sadly. “Do come again soon, and perhaps 
you’ll bring Lady Jane with you.” 

“We’ll come again soon,” said Peggy.' 

“Yes,” said Alice; and in her own mind she 
thought, “We’ll never, never bring Lady Jane.”. 


CHAPTER VII 

THE CANARY-BIRD 

Peggy and Alice had a very happy time the next few 
days playing with Clara. Their school had a vaca- 
tion, too, so the children were able to spend long 
hours together, sometimes at one house and some- 
times at the other. They liked better going to see 
Clara on account of the tree-house; and Clara liked 
better going to see them. She liked to come early 
and help to make the beds and do the dishes, for she 
was never allowed to help about the work at her own 
house, even now, when they were supposed to be 
camping out. The field behind the Owens’ house, 
where the garden was to be, was a delightful place to 
play, and so was the little hill beyond. 

The time passed only too quickly, and, at the end 
of the vacation, Clara was whisked back to New 
York with her father and mother and Miss Rand, 
this time in an automobile. The children missed her 
very much at first; and June, when she would be 
coming back again, seemed a long way off. 

But they soon got interested in the children at 
school. Peggy liked school, and she was very fond of 
her teacher. On the way to school they passed Mrs. 
Butler’s house. Peggy was always eager to stop and 


54 


PEGGY m HER BLUE FROCK 


listen to the canary and have a little talk with Mrs. 
Butler, but Alice was always eager to go on foi fear 
they would be late. 

Sometimes they saw Mrs. Butler’s daughter Flora, 
starting off for her work. She was in a milliner’s 
store and wore the prettiest hats. Every time Peggy 
went by the milliner’s window, she stopped to look 
at the hats. She had longed to have a new one for 
Easter, for her old brown straw looked so shabby. 
One day, when she was with her mother and Alice, 
she made them cross the street to look at a hat in the 
window that she wanted very much. It was a pea- 
nut straw with a ribbon of the same color around it, 
with long ends. The ribbon had a blue edge, just the 
color of Peggy’s blue frocks. 

“It does seem as if I’d got to have it,” said Peggy. 
“Why should there be a hat with blue on it, just the 
color of my dresses, if it was n’t for me^ ” 

“I wish I could get it for you, Peggy,” said her 
mother. “When my ship comes in perhaps I will.” 

“When will it come in, mother?” Alice asked. 

“I have not even got a ship — that’s the worst of 
it. However, as we don’t live at the seashore a garden 
is more useful. If we make the garden pay perhaps 
we can all have new hats.” 

“But they’ll be winter hats if we wait for the gar< 
den, and I want the peanut straw,” said Peggy. 

Flora Butler, who was behind the counter, came 
to the door and spoke to them. 


THE CANARY-BIRD 


55 


“How much is the peanut straw hat?” Peggy 
asked. 

“Peggy, I have told you I can’t get the hat for 
you,” said her mother. 

“ It really is a bargain,” said Miss Butler. 

“It is a very pretty hat,” said Mrs. Owen, “but I 
am spending more than I can afford on my garden.” 

“ How ’s the canary? ” Peggy asked. 

“He is all right. He will give you a free concert 
any time you can stop to hear him.” 

“ It seemed too bad he could not be free like the 
other birds,” Peggy thought. 

And then one day, as they were coming back from 
school, she saw the empty cage in the window, and 
Mrs. Butler, half distracted, was asking the school- 
children if any of them had seen her canary-bird. 
“I don’t know what my husband will say when he 
comes back from the store for his dinner, and he 
finds it gone,” she said. “He sets as much store by 
that canary as if it was a puppy.” 

The school-children stood about in an interested 
group. 

“How did it get out?” Peggy asked. 

“I was cleaning Sol’s cage, as usual, and he was 
out in the room. The window was open a little at 
the top, same as I ’ve had it before once or twice these 
spring days, and Sol never took notice. The worst of 
it is, my husband told me I had n’t orter keep it open, 
even a speck, while the bird was out of his cage. 


56 PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 

‘Sol can wriggle through the smallest kind of a crack,’ 
says he; and it appears he was right. My, but he’ll 
be angry! ‘Marthy, it’ll serve you right,’ he’ll say.” 

The children saw Mr. Butler coming down the 
street, just then, and they waited in fascinated silence 
to see what would happen next. One of the school- 
boys, who always loved to make a sensation, called 
out as he passed, “Did you know your canary-bird 
is lost?” 

“You don’t expect I am going to swallow that 
yarn, Gilbert Lawson?” the old man said. “You’d 
better shut up. ’T aint the first of April.” 

“But it really and truly has flown away, Mr. But- 
ler,” said Peggy. 

“Flown away! Did my old woman leave the win- 
dow open? Marthy, did n’t I tell you what would 
happen?” he said angrily as he vanished into the 
house. They could hear his voice raised louder and 
louder. 

Peggy could see Mrs. Butler putting her handker- 
chief up to her eyes. “She’s crying,” said Peggy in 
an awed voice. “Oh, let’s see if we can’t find the 
canary-bird.” 

“jFind it!” said Gilbert scornfully. “You might 
as well look for a needle in a haymow.” 

“Perhaps if we put the cage out he’d come back 
into it,” said Peggy. 

“Do you suppose anything clever enough to get 
out of prison would be fool enough to go back again? ” 


THE CANARY-BIRD 


57 


said he. “Well, there seems to be nothing doing 
now and I guess I’ll go home.” 

Gilbert and his brother Ralph and the other boys 
went toward the village, and so did the girls who 
lived in that direction. But Peggy and Alice and 
Anita Spaulding still lingered. 

“I’m going to tell them that I’ll come back as 
soon as dinner is over and find the bird for them,” 
said Peggy. “ I know I can find it.” 

“Oh, Peggy, maybe mother won’t let you come,” 
said Alice. 

“She’s a sensible mother; I know she’ll let me 
come,” said Peggy, as she ran up the steps. 

Mrs. Butler came to the door. Her eyes looked 
very red and she still seemed quite upset. 

“Oh, Mrs. Butler,” said Peggy breathlessly, “I 
know I can find the canary-bird — I know I can. 
I ’ll come right straight back as soon as I ’ve had my 
dinner.” 

Alice and Peggy ran home and Peggy explained 
breathlessly about the canary. “Mother dear, Mrs. 
Butler has lost Sol; and I know I can find him. So 
please give us our dinner quick.” 

“Who is Sol.^” Mrs. Owen asked. 

“The canary — I know I can find him. I can 
tell him by his song, and then I can climb up and 
put his cage in a tree and get him back into it.” 

“He won’t come back once he’s free; Gilbert 
says he won’t,” said Alice. 


58 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


“Don’t you pay any attention to what Gilbert 
says,” said Peggy. 

Mrs. Owen was very much interested. “Peggy is 
right,” she said. “I once knew of a canary-bird that 
escaped and went back into his old cage. If you can 
only find him it is not impossible.” 

“There, I told you she was a sensible mother,” 
said Peggy. 

She could hardly wait to finish her dinner, and 
thought of going off without any dessert. But when 
she found it was rice pudding with raisins, she 
changed her mind. The two little girls went so fast 
to Mrs. Butler’s it was almost like flying. 

“We’ve come to find Sol,” said Peggy. 

Mr. Butler was just finishing his dinner. “I tell 
you what,” he said, “ I ’ll give five dollars to any one 
who’ll bring back that canary-bird safe and sound.” 

Peggy and Alice went across the street and they 
ran along until they thought they had reached a 
spot that might appeal to Sol. This was the Thornton 
place, which was a bower of green with its partly 
open foliage. 

“I’m sure he’ll be here,” said Peggy. “I’d come 
here if I were a canary. Oh, Alice, listen!” From 
somewhere, far, far above them, there came delicious 
trills and the joyous sound that Peggy longed to make 
herself. Nothing but a canary could sing like that. 
“Spring has come and I am free; and the world is 
too beautiful for anything,” he seemed to say. 


THE CANARY-BIRD 


59 


“It is Sol; I know his voice,” Peggy cried. “It 
seems ’most too bad to put him in prison again — 
only I’m sure he’ll be homesick when the dark 
night comes.” 

“And it might rain and get his feathers all drag- 
gled,” said Alice. 

“And perhaps the other birds would be horrid to 
him because he’s so different,” said Peggy. “Any- 
way, we’ve got to get him if we can. Look, Alice!” 
Far up at the top of the maple tree, the leaves of 
which were partly open, was a tiny golden ball, and 
from its throat came forth the glad spring song, 
“ Stay and watch him, Alice, while I go over to Mrs. 
Butler’s and get the cage.” 

Alice stood rooted to the spot, watching the little 
creature, like a yellow sunbeam among the green 
opening leaves. It seemed a long time before Peggy 
came back. Mrs. Butler was with her, creaking along 
heavily. She was carrying the cage. 

“Of course, he won’t come back now he ’s free,” 
said Mrs. Butler. “Dear help us, but it’s him that’s 
singin’ I ” she said. “ I thought you ’d just mistaken a 
song sparrow for him.” She looked up and saw her 
favorite in the tree-top. 

Peggy took the cage out of Mrs. Butler’s hand. 

“I’ll climb up,” she said, “and I’ll leave his 
house-door open, for he has n’t any latch-key.” 

“Well, if that isn’t the limit,” said Mrs. Butler 
with a laugh. “To think of Sol with a latch-key!” 


60 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


‘‘But I said he didn’t have one,” said Peggy. 

Peggy, in her blue frock, climbed up into the maple 
tree, and her yellow hair looked almost as sunshiny 
as the canary. Mrs. Butler handed the cage up to 
her. There was some of the bird’s favorite seed in 
the cage and water for him to drink. 

“I guess he’ll go home when he gets hungry,” 
said Peggy. 

Mrs. Butler kept laughing to herself and saying 
over and over, “He hasn’t any latch-key; if that 
don’t beat all.” 

Peggy scrambled down again, and they all stood 
waiting to see what would happen next; and nothing 
happened. It was very discouraging. Finally they 
sat down on the Thorntons’ wall to rest. 

“Oh, look!” Peggy cried in excitement. 

The bird gave a few little hops along the branch 
and then fluttered down to a lower perch nearer the 
cage. The children’s eyes grew big with excitement. 
Alice jumped down from the wall and ran nearer 
to the tree to get a better view. The noise she made 
startled the bird, and he flew on to a higher branch. 

“There, Alice, see what you’ve donel” Peggy said. 

“Oh, dear, oh, dear!” 

They sat still for a long time, and after this Alice 
did not dare either to speak or move, 

“'Well, I guess I’ll go home,” said Mrs. Butler. 
“ ‘A watched pot never boils.’ Mebbe you’d like 
some refreshments as well as Sol. Don’t you want to 


THE CANARY-BIRD 


61 


go home with me and get some lemonade and cake? ” 

But even this offer could not lure the children from 
the spot. Peggy was afraid to go off, even for a 
moment, for fear the canary would slip in for a meal 
and out again before she could close him in. The 
time passed slowly. After what seemed hours Mrs. 
Butler came back and brought them some cake and 
lemonade. It tasted very good, but they soon finished 
it, and Mrs. Butler went away with the empty dishes, 
shaking her fist at Sol. 

“You are^^the most provoking bird,’’ she said, 
“keeping everybody waiting, and you so small you 
could go in one ’s pocket, if only you had n ’t wings.” 

Alice lost her patience before Peggy did. “We 
ought to be going home,” she said. “Mother’ll won- 
der what has become of us.” 

“All right, go home if you want to. I’m going to 
stick right here until he gets hungry and goes into 
his house.” 

“Perhaps I’ll come back again,” said AJice. 

It seemed lonely after Alice had left her. Peggy 
was tired of keeping still. She took one run across 
the Thornton place, but this seemed to disturb the 
canary, so she flung herself down on the grass. ^ 

“ I ’ll look away while I count a hundred,” she said. 

She counted a hundred and when she looked back, 
there was the canary in his cage, and she had not 
seen him go in. It was too provoking. She climbed 
up, breathless with excitement, and shut the door. 


CHAPTER VIII 

THE REWARD 

Mr. Butler was just coming back from his work as 
Peggy reached the gate of his house. 

“I’ve got him,” she called triumphantly. 

“Bless my soul !” said the old man. “Have you 
been waiting for him all this time ? ” 

“Yes,” said Peggy 

“What a patient little girl you are.” 

He put his hand in his trousers’ pocket and pulled 
out a roll of bills. He looked them over until he came 
to a crisp, new, five-dollar bill which he handed to 

Peggy. 

Peggy ran all the way home, with the five-dollar 
bill clasped in her hand. She had never once thought 
of the money while she was watching the canary. He 
was so beautiful, with his yellow feathers against 
the branches of the tree, with the blue sky above him, 
and his song was so wonderful, that she had not 
thought about any reward. But now that she had the 
money, she felt as if some one had given her a fortune, 
for she had never had so much money at once, in all 
her short life. Now she could get the hat, for it did 
not cost nearly five dollars; and there would be some 
money left to buy — what should she buy ? Some- 
thing for Alice and her mother. 


THE REWARD 


63 


“Oh, mother,” she said, as she burst into the room, 
“I got him, and see what Mr. Butler gave me I Now 
I can get my new hat I” 

“You don’t mean to say you took money for do- 
ing a kindness ?” said Mrs. Owen. 

“He gave it to me,” said Peggy. 

“Yes, so I understood, but, my dear little girl, the 
Butlers have n ’t any more money than we have. They 
are poor people. Five dollars means a great deal to 
them.” 

“He seemed to want to give it to me,” said 
Peggy. 

“That was very kind, but you ought to have said, 
‘I didn’t think of the reward. I shouldn’t feel it 
right to be paid for doing a kindness. I am sure my 
mother would n’t want me to keep the money.’ ” 

“ But I never thought about you. Truly, mother, 
you never once came into my head. And I did not 
think it was being paid. I thought it was kind of a 
thank-offering.” 

“Well, we’ll take the money back as soon as sup- 
per is over,” said Mrs. Owen. 

Peggy ate her supper in silence. She was sure her 
mother could not know how much she wanted the 
new hat. And to think she felt so sure of having it, 
and then to have it snatched away was hard ! And 
she was afraid Mr. Butler ’s feelings would be hurt; for 
she was sure he did not think of a reward, but a thank- 
offering. 


64 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


After supper Mrs. Owen and the two children 
went down the street to Mrs. Butler’s house. It 
was pleasant to see the canary-bird in his cage in the 
window. He was silent, as if he were tired out with 
the excitement of the day. Peggy felt tired, too, and 
she thought, ‘‘ If I were only the kind of little girl who 
cried, I should cry now, because I am so disappointed 
about the hat.” 

Mrs. Butler ’s daughter Flora had just come in from 
the milliner’s shop. She was wearing a pretty hat, 
with a wreath of wild roses around it. 

“Well, Peggy, I hear you have found the most im- 
portant member of the family,” said Flora. “I’m 
sure they would n’t take on half so bad if I was 
lost.” 

“ I guess you could find your way home if you were 
lost,” said Peggy. 

They begged Mrs. Owen and the children to sit 
down and have supper with them. 

“Thank you, but we have had our supper,” said 
Mrs. Owen. “I only came down for a minute, just 
to say how good you were to give my little girl the 
five dollars, but I could not let her keep it. I don’t 
want her to feel she is to be benefited in any other 
way when she does a kindness, except having the 
pleasure that comes from helping somebody.” 

“I thought I’d like to have the pleasure of helping 
somebody,” said Mr. Butler. “I offered the reward, 
and she seemed real pleased to get it.” 


THE REWxVRD 


65 


“Of course, she was pleased,” said Peggy’s mother. 
“But I am sure it was not the idea of the reward that 
started her out to find the canary. So, if you please, 
Mr. Butler,” — and Mrs. Owen handed him the 
five-dollar bill as she spoke, — “I’d rather you kept 
this. We’ve always been good friends and neighbors, 
and I am glad if my little girl has been able to help 
you, and sometime, I am sure, you and Mrs. Butler 
will be ready to help me.” 

Mrs. Butler had been watching Peggy’s face. She 
saw she was sorry not to have the money, and she 
shrewdly guessed there was something she wanted 
very much that the five dollars would buy. 

“I see just the way your ma feels,” said Mrs. But- 
ler, “but it does seem as if Sol might make you a 
little present. Can you think of anything you would 
like.?” 

“ Yes, ” said Peggy promptly, “ the hat in the mil- 
liner ’s window with the ribbon with the blue edge.” 

“My dear little girl — ” began Mrs. Qwen. 

“That is just the thing,” said Mrs. Butler. “I’m 
sure Sol will be real pleased to give it to you.” 

Mrs. Owen was about to say it was too much of a 
present, but she looked at Peggy’s shining eyes and 
then at Mrs. Butler’s beaming face. Who was she 
to stand out against these two ? If it were indeed 
more blessed to give than to receive, Mr. and Mrs, 
Butler were getting their reward. 

So the next day a paper box arrived at the Owens’ 


66 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


door for “Miss Peggy Owen, with the compliments 
and gratitude of her friend Sol.” 

Oh, joy of joys! It was the hat. Peggy tried it on, 
and it was even nicer than she had thought, for it 
was so light, and it had such a good brim. She went 
down that very afternoon to make a special call on 
Mrs. Butler and Sol; and the canary sang again his 
melodious song. 


CHAPTER IX 
CHOOSING A KITTEN 

Now the warm weather had come to stay, Mrs. 
Owen decided that it was cruel to keep Lady Jane 
in the house, besides being almost impossible. The 
children must take the risk. If she chose to live with 
the Carters, it could not be helped. Perhaps Diana 
needed her more than they did. 

“But she is my cat,” said Alice. “Can’t I go and 
get her back whenever she goes there ?” 

“Yes, if you have the patience.” 

“I ^hall have the patience to go a hundred and 
seventy-five times,” said Alice. 

She and Peggy liked Diana, but whenever Mrs. 
Owen had suggested to her little girls that they should 
go to see her, they had always some good reason 
for not going. Mrs. Owen suspected it was on ac- 
count of Lady Jane. It was awkward to meet Diana 
when they had locked Lady Jane up, knowing per- 
fectly well that she preferred to live with Diana. 
Peggy thought it was not fair to take advantage of 
anything so small. But the cat was Alice ’s, not hers, 
as Alice reminded her. And then, one pleasant day. 
Lady Jane decided to set up housekeeping for good 
and all in her old home. Alice wanted to go down at 
once and bring her back. But Mrs. Owen insisted 


68 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


that she should be allowed to stay in the home of her 
choice for at least a week. 

And before the week was up, Diana telephoned to 
Alice. “What do you think, Alice,” she said, “Lady 
Jane has four teenty-tinety kittens — the darling- 
est, most cuddly things I” 

“Oh, she does have such lovely children I” said 
Alice, with a pang of envy. 

“They are in a wood-box out in the shed,” said 
Diana. “At least it looks like a wood-box, but there 
is n’t any wood in it.” 

“Yes, that is her old house,” said Alice. 

“Mother has put in an old piece of blanket so as to 
make them comfortable,” said Diana. 

“Has she really ? ” said Alice. 

“Mother won’t let us touch the kittens until they 
get their eyes open. She says in two weeks she hopes 
you and Peggy will come down and see them.” 

“Not for two weeks ?” said Alice. “We always 
look at them a lot. I ’d like her back before two weeks. 
That is too long a visit.” 

“Mother says it is bad for kittens to be handled. 
She says to forget all about them for two weeks.” 

“Ask her if she knows what color they are,” said 
Peggy. 

“Have you seen them ?” Alice asked. 

“Yes, mother let us look at them just once, and 
we each chose a kitten for ourselves.” 

“Do you mean to say she is going to let you keep 


CHOOSING A KITTEN 69 

them all Alice asked. “Mother never let us keep 
but two.” 

“We can keep them if you will let us have them,” 
said Diana. “ Of course we know she is your cat, but 
mother thought maybe your mother would n’t want 
the bother of four kittens.” 

“ You did n’t ask her what color they are. Let me 
talk to her,” said Peggy, and she seized the receiver. 
“It is Peggy talking now. What color are the kit- 
tens ? ” 

“Tipsy is black with just a white tip to his tail, 
and Topsy is black with a white vest and four white 
paws, and Lady Janet is silvery gray, almost exactly 
like her mother, and Gretchen is gray and white with 
a gray chin.” 

“And your mother doesn’t mind the bother of 
four kittens?” said Peggy. 

“Mother,” she said, as Mrs. Owen came into the 
room, “Lady Jane has four children, and Mrs. Carter 
is going to keep all of them if we’ll let her.” 

“ We shall want one ourselves so as to keep her con- 
tented,” said Alice. 

“My dear little girl,” said her mother, “it would 
be cruel to move Lady Jane until the kittens are big 
enough to look out for themselves. I have a few 
things to do besides taking care of her and her family. 
If the Carters want her and she wants to stay, there 
is no use in fighting any longer.” 

“But she is my darling cat,” said Alice, with tears 


70 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


in her eyes. “ How would you feel, mother, if I decided 
I would rather live in my old house with the Carters 
than with you. Would you let me stay ? ” 

“Certainly not, because you are not capable of 
judging what is best for yourself, and because I 
could not spare you, and neither would Mrs. Carter 
want to bring up another child. But if you were my 
pussy-cat, instead of my child, and you preferred to 
live with a little girl who was sick half the time, 
and had so few pleasures, and if you had four furry 
children, and the Carters wanted to keep them, I 
should be glad to have everybody happy.” 

“All but me, mother,” said Alice, “and Peggy — ■ 
she will miss Lady Jane.” 

“I am sure they will let you have one of the kit- 
tens,” said Mrs. Owen. “In about two months you 
can have one of them.” 

“Not for two months?” said Peggy. “Oh, mother, 
think of a catless house for two months. It will be 
so desolate.” 

“But you can go and choose your kitten in two 
weeks,” said Mrs. Owen, “ and you can often go to 
se^ it.” 

It was a bright spring afternoon when Peggy and 
Alice went down to Diana’s house to choose the 
kitten. They took along with them a great bunch o{ 
Mayflowers for Diana. They had picked them the 
afternoon before, when they had gone with their 
mother up to their camp on the hill. It was a rude 


CHOOSING A KITTEN 


71 


little hut that their father had built. Later in the 
season, wild strawberries would grow on the place, and 
then would come raspberries, and afterwards blue- 
berries and blackberries. Mrs. Owen was planning 
to make preserves for themselves, and for some of 
the neighbors. She looked over the ground with in- 
terest while the children frisked about and stopped 
from time to time to pick Mayflowers. 

Diana was sitting up in bed when the children ar- 
rived. The bed was of mahogany and had four twisted 
posts. The white quilt had been turned back and a 
book and Diana ’s doll Alice were lying on the blanket. 
The sun came shining in through the two west win- 
dows. The room looked very fresh, with the new 
white paint and pale green walls. 

“This used to be mother’s room when we had the 
house,” said Peggy. “It is much prettier now.” 

Diana was wearing her green kimono with the 
pink roses on it. “They gave me the best room be- 
cause I’m sick so much,” said Diana. “Wasn’t it 
nice of them, when I am the youngest in the family?” 

“ I ’d rather have the smallest room iu the house, 
and be well,” said Peggy. 

She was sorry she had said it, for a shadow seemed 
to cross Diana ’s bright face. “Father expects I ’ll be 
well much sooner, now we live in the country, ’’she said. 

“Oh, what lovely Mayflowers !” she added, as 
Peggy dropped the big bunch down beside her. Diana 
picked it up and plunged her nose into it. 


72 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


‘‘Peggy and I picked them for you yesterday,’’ 
said Alice. “We were up at our camp.” 

Diana listened with interest to the children’s de- 
scription of the place. 

“There are pine woods around the camp,” said 
Peggy, “and on the hillside and in the pasture such 
delicious berries; and later on we shall go up and pick 
them; we always do. We have to walk now, for we 
have n’t a horse or automobile any more. But it is 
a nice walk and not so very long. Maybe your father 
will drive you up when you get better.” 

“I’d like to see it,” said Diana. 

Just then Mrs. Carter came into the room with a 
basket. 

“ Oh, have you brought the kittens ? ” Peggy asked. 

“Yes, they are all here.” She took out one kitten 
after another and put them all on the bed in front of 
Diana. 

“Oh, what sweet things I” Alice cried. She put 
her hand on the black kitten with the white tip to his 
tail. “This is Tipsy, isn’t it ?” she asked. 

“Yes.” 

“And I know this is Topsy,” said Peggy, picking 
up the other black-and-white kitten. 

“Oh, what a darling I” said Alice as she spied the 
gray-and- white kitten. “That must be Gretchen.” 

“Oh, see that one, Alice,” and Peggy pointed to 
the silvery gray kitten that looked like a miniature 
Lady Jane. The children went into an ecstasy of de- 


CHOOSING A KITTEN 


73 


light over the four soft, furry little things that were 
so complete and yet small. 

As Mrs. Carter was leaving the room, she said, 
“ I ’ll come back in a few minutes, for I want to take 
them home before Lady Jane comes back from her 
afternoon walk. She’d be terribly worried if she 
found they were gone. So you’ll have to choose 
your kitten quickly.” 

“Can we choose whatever one we want ?” Peggy 
asked. 

“Almost any one,” said Diana. “WeVe each 
chosen for ourselves, but I’ll let you choose mine if 
you want her; and I don’t believe Tom would mind 
if you chose his. I’m not sure about Christopher — 
he ’s so decided.” 

“Well, anyway, I don’t know which I like best,” 
said Peggy. 

“ Well, I know which one I want,” said Alice, and 
she picked up the silvery gray kitten. “I want Lady 
Janet, she’s so like her mother, except she’s a lighter 
color.” 

“That’s Christopher’s kitten,” said Diana. 

“Well, I don’t care if it is,” said Alice in her gen- 
tlest voice; “I want it. I think if I am so unfortunate 
as to lose my precious Lady Jane, I ought to have the 
child that’s most like her.” 

“They are all sweet,” said Peggy. “Which is the 
kitten that does n’t belong to anybody ?” 

“Topsy.” 


74 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


“Let’s take Topsy,” said Peggy. “It would be 
a change to have a black-and-white kitten.” 

“It would not be a nice change,” said Alice. “I ’d 
like to go and find Christopher.” 

He came in while the kittens were still there. “Oh, 
Christopher,” said Alice, “please I want Lady Janet. 
I want her very much because she’s so like her 
mother. I know she’s your kitten, but I want her 
very much, please, Christopher.” 

“I want her very much, too,” said Christopher. 

In spite of his pleasant smile, he had a determined 
face. He looked as if when his mind was made up 
he did not easily change it. 

“You see, if I can’t have Lady Jane I want Lady 
Janet,” said Alice. 

“Who says you can’t have Lady Jane ?” said 
Christopher. “You can have her back as soon as the 
kittens are old enough to look out for themselves.” 

“You know she won’t stay with us,” said Alice re- 
proachfully. 

“Well, I can’t help that,” said Christopher. 

“Come, Alice,” said Peggy, “we must be going 
now.” 

She turned and looked at Christopher. “If you 
are so mean as not to let my sister have the kitten 
she wants when Lady Jane is her cat, I shall never 
speak to you as long as I live. I think you are a sel- 
fish pig. You can keep all four kittens. There are 
plenty of kittens in town. Good-bye, Diana.” 


CHOOSING A KITTEN 


75 


“Oh, don’t go,” said Diana, looking very much 
worried. “Christopher was only teasing her.” 

This was true, but Peggy was not sure of it. She 
thought Diana wanted to make peace. 

“ Peggy does n’t really mean it,” Alice said. “ Some- 
times she gets angry, but she does n’t stay angry. 
Please, Christopher,” — and she looked at him be- 
seechingly, — “I would like Lady Janet.” 

“She is my kitten,” said Christopher, and Alice’s 
face clouded, “but I will give her to you,” he added. 


CHAPTER X 

THE WILD GARDEN 

Meanwhile, as the kittens were growing, the gar- 
den was growing, too. Peggy thought it was strange 
that small furry things and plants and vegetables 
should change so much in a few weeks, while chil- 
dren did not seem to change at all. 

The garden had been a delight from the very first, 
for they had found it so interesting to follow old 
Michael about with the horses, as he ploughed the 
field at the back of the house and got it ready for 
planting. It was still more exciting to watch their 
mother and the old gardener, as they planned where 
the different crops were to be. Mrs. Owen had made 
one of her blue frocks, which she wore, and Peggy had 
on one of hers, and Alice felt sorry not to be in uni- 
form, but she made a nice bit of color in the landscape 
in a pink frock. 

Next came the planting. They helped about this. 
It was such fun to pat the earth down after the seed 
had been put in. There were rows and rows of peas, 
and rows and rows of string-beans and shell-beans, 
and some corn and turnips and carrots, and, also, a 
great many tomato plants. Mrs. Owen was going to 
put up all the peas and beans and tomatoes that 
Mrs. Horton needed, as well as her jams and jellies. 


THE WILD GARDEN 


77 


And she was going to put up vegetables, fruit, and 
berries for Mrs. Carter, also, as she had been too 
busy getting settled to have any time to start a 
garden this year. May was a joyous month. The 
planting was all done, and some bits of green were 
poking their heads above the ground. 

In June Clara came back, and they had her to play 
with. They saw a great deal of Diana, too, for they 
made frequent trips to see how Lady Janet was get- 
ting on. One day Clara went with them, and she de- 
cided she must have Topsy just as soon as she was 
big enough to leave home. This would leave only 
two kittens for three children, but Diana said if 
Lady Jane was to be hers she would let Christopher 
have Gretchen. 

If Peggy and Alice took pleasure in the garden be- 
hind the house, this was nothing compared with 
their delight in what they called the wild garden, on 
the hill. The strawberries were the first of the ber- 
ries to be picked. There were not a great many of 
them, but as Mrs. Horton and Mrs. Carter both 
wanted wild strawberry preserves, Mrs. Owen thought 
it best to get what she could from her own land. 
So one glorious June day she and the children started 
for the hill, with their luncheon, and pails to pick 
the’berries in. Alice picked as carefully as her mother 
did, although not so fast; but Peggy put soft berries 
in with the good ones, and some bits of leaves some- 
how got in with her berries. 


78 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


“Peggy, look what you are doing,” said her mother. 
“Those berries are over-ripe.” 

“I don’t see what difference it makes, mother, so 
long as you are going to make strawberry jam. Oh, 
mother, look at that squirrel, he gave a skip from one 
branch to another. See what a bushy tail he has.” 

“Peggy, do attend to your work.” 

“Mother, you can’t expect me to work all the time 
on such a sunshiny day. It is just as important to 
watch squirrels and birds.” 

“Well, perhaps it is for you, but not for me. I 
can’t put up squirrels for my neighbors by the cold- 
pack process.” 

When it came to the preserving of the strawber- 
ries, Peggy and Alice were so interested that they 
went out into the kitchen so as to watch the whole 
process. 

“ Children, you must n’t eat any more of the straw- 
berries,” said their mother. “Remember, I am put- 
ting them up for other people.” 

“But, mother, you’ve got lots and lots of them,” 
said Peggy. “I didn’t know we picked so many.” 

“I had to buy a great many more to fill my or- 
ders,” said Mrs. Owen, “and even now I shan’t have 
as much wild strawberry preserve as Mrs. Horton 
and Mrs. Carter wanted; remember the strawberries 
represent just so much money.” 

“But, mother,” said Peggy, “I think it would be so 
much nicer to keep the strawberry preserve for our- 


THE WILD GARDEN 79 

selves than to have the money. We can’t eat 
that.” 

“Children, do keep out of this kitchen.” 

“Mother, I don’t see why it is called the * cold- 
pack’ process, when you heat the jars,” said Peggy. 

“Oh, do run along, children; you might go down 
to Diana’s and see how Lady Janet is getting 
along.” 

“She is getting quite big,” said Alice. “Can we 
bring her home to-day ? ” 

“Not to-day,” said her mother firmly. “I must 
get this preserving done before she comes.” 

Picking raspberries was even more delightful than 
picking strawberries, because they were bigger, and 
there were so many more of them; but going for 
blueberries was the best of all, for there were such 
quantities of them in the pasture on the hill that one 
could get quarts and quarts. Indeed, there were so 
many that Mrs. Owen was glad of extra pickers. She 
proposed having a picnic and asking Miss Rand 
and Clara, and Diana and her brothers. Diana was 
much stronger now, and her father was going to 
take her to the picnic in his automobile. Mrs. Carter 
decided she would like to go, too, and so did her 
brother, who was staying with them for a few days. 
Diana thought that, next to her father, there was no 
other man in the whole world so delightful as her 
Uncle Joe. He was tall and slim and had friendly 
brown eyes, and such a kind face and merry smile 


80 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


that Peggy and Alice and Clara liked him the first 
moment they saw him. 

The first moment had been the day Clara went for 
her kitten. He had put the struggling Topsy into the 
basket in such a nice way, and he talked to her as if 
she had been a person. “Topsy, you are going to a 
very good home,” he said. “Miss Rand is one who 
understands people like you, and so does Clara. 
You will have the choicest food — lamb and fish, 
and all that you most desire, and you will be so well 
fed you will not have to live, like the Chinese, on 
mice.” 

Lady Janet was still living at the Carters’ on 
account of the preserving, but she was getting so big 
she was to come to them very soon. 

“If we wait until she gets much bigger, she will be 
running home just as her mother did,” said Peggy. 

The day of the picnic was a glorious one. Peggy 
called it a “blue day” because the sky was so blue. 
It was a deep blue, and there were great fleecy clouds 
floating about. The blueberries were the most won- 
derful blue, two shades, dark and light, with a shim- 
mer to them, and Peggy’s blue frock seemed a part 
of all the brightness of the day. Alice had on her 
yellow frock, and Diana was in green, and Clara 
in pink. It was almost too beautiful a day for 
them to stop and pick berries, Peggy thought; but 
that was what they had come for. Mrs. Owen said 
she would give a pint of preserved blueberries to the 


THE WILD GARDEN 


81 


boy or girl who picked the first quart, provided they 
were carefully picked. So every one set to work to 
pick with a will. 

Tom got his pail filled first, but as he was older 
than the other children, Diana said she thought 
ought to have the prize, because she had filled 
her quart pail almost as soon as Tom had; for Peggy, 
who was naturally quick, had been so anxious to 
come out ahead that she had not stopped to look at 
squirrels and birds. When Mrs. Owen examined the 
berries, however, she found some that were not ripe 
in Peggy’s pail. Diana and Alice had both of them 
picked slowly, but carefully. Christopher had almost 
as many as Peggy, but his had to be gone over, and 
some unripe ones taken out. Clara had the fewest 
and poorest of all. She was not used to applying 
herseK, and very soon she said she was tired and that 
the sun made her head ache; so Miss Rand said she 
could go into the little hut and rest. But this did not 
suit her, for she liked to be with the other children. 

“ I am going to give the prize to Diana,” said Mrs. 
Owen, “as Tom won’t take it, for she has picked 
carefully.” 

“Let’s see who has picked the most,” said Peggy, 
as she examined the pails. “Oh, mother has a lot 
moie than anybody. Mother, you’ll have to keep 
some for yourself, and Alice and I can help you eat 
them.” 

Miss Rand had a great many, and so had Mrs. 


82 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


Carter, but her brother Joe had the fewest of all the 
grown people, for he had been building a fire in the 
hut, so that Mrs. Owen could fry bacon and heat 
cocoa for dinner. 

When they all took a recess in picking and sat 
down on the piazza of the camp for their dinner, 
Peggy thought she had never tasted anything so good 
in her life as the bread and butter and hard-boiled 
eggs and crisp bacon. For dessert they had saucers 
of blueberries and cups of cocoa, and some cake and 
doughnuts, which Mrs. Carter and Mrs. Horton had 
contributed to the feast. 

As they were resting after dinner, Mrs. Carter read 
a story aloud to them. Then they all picked blueber- 
ries again. Diana and Clara soon got tired, and Miss 
Rand fixed a comfortable place for them to lie down 
on the window-seats in the hut. Mrs. Owen took 
some gray blankets out of one of the lockers and 
covered them up carefully. 

At night, when Dr. Carter came for them with the 
automobile, they had the large pails Mrs. Owen had 
brought filled with blueberries as well as the quart 
pails. Peggy had never seen so many blueberries 
together in her life. The automobile had seats for 
seven. There were four grown people at the picnic, 
and Dr. Carter made five. And there were six 
children. 

“I’ll come back for a second load,” Dr. Carter 
said. 


THE WILD GARDEN 


83 


“I’d rather walk” said their Unele Joe, “and I 
am sure the boys would.” 

“We’ll go down by the short cut,” said Tom. 

“All right. I can stow the rest of you in.” 

The three ladies got in on the back seat, Diana was 
in front with her father, and Alice and Clara were in 
the side seats. 

“Peggy, we can make room for you in front,” said 
Dr. Carter. 

But Peggy had no idea of missing that walk down 
the hill with the boys and their Uncle Joe. “I’d 
rather walk,” she said. 

“Jump in, Peggy,” said her mother, “you must be 
very tired.” 

“I’m not a bit tired, truly I’m not, mother. I’ve 
been so tied down all day picking berries, I’m just 
crazy for a run.” 

“Let the young colt have a scamper,” said Dr. 
Carter; “it will do her good.” 

As Peggy danced along down the hillside, she 
thought how fortunate Diana was to have a father 
and an uncle and two brothers. She raced down the 
hill with Christopher while Tom and his uncle fol- 
lowed at their heels. 

“There, I have beaten you, Christopher,” said 
Peggy, breathlessly, as she sank down on a rock at 
the bottom of the hill. 

“I could have beaten you if I had tried,” said 
Christopher. 


84 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


“Then why did n’t you?” 

“Well, I thought, as you were a girl and younger, 
I’d let you get a start, and I expected to pass you.” 

“Oh, dear, I am tired of being a girl. Just let ’s play 
I’m a boy. You can call me Peter.” 

“I don’t want to play you are a boy. I like you 
better the way you are,” Christopher said, as he 
glanced at her blue frock. 

“Yes, Peggy,” said Uncle Joe, ‘‘we all like you 
better the way you are.” 

“Well, I suppose I’ll have to be a girl and make the 
best of it. But I do wish I had men and boys in my 
family.” 

“You might adopt us,” said Uncle Joe. “I would 
like you and Alice for nieces. A lot of children I ’m no 
relation to call me ‘Uncle Joe,’ and I’m sure the boys 
would like you and Alice for cousins.” 

“You bet we would,” said Christopher. 

So Peggy came back from the picnic a much richer 
little girl than she had been when she went to it. 
“Alice,” she said, as she burst into the house, “Mr. 
Beal says we can call him ‘Uncle Joe,’ and we can play 
that Tom and Christopher are our cousins.” 

“I’d like to call him ‘Uncle Joe,”’ said Alice, “for 
he was so nice about Topsy, but I don’t want the boys 
for my cousins.” 


CHAPTER XI 

THE GEOGRAPHY GAME 

The children’s Uncle Joe was an architect. He was 
making some additions to Mrs. Horton’s house, and 
so he came up every little while to see how the work 
was getting on; and later, he was given the new Sav- 
ings Bank to build. He often came on from New 
York for a few days and stayed with the Carters. 
All the children were delighted when he came, for he 
was just as nice as a child to play with. In fact, he 
was nicer, for he knew so much more. He was a 
great traveler, for he had been a Lieutenant in the 
army and had been across seas. He had traveled, 
also, in the United States, and there was hardly a 
State he had not stayed in. The children were never 
tired of hearing his stories about places and people. 
He had, too, a delightful way of inventing games, 
making them up out of his own head. 

One rainy October afternoon, Alice and Peggy 
were sitting in the living-room when the telephone 
rang. Alice had Lady Janet curled up in her arms, 
and Peggy was reading aloud from “Alice’s Adven- 
tures in Wonderland.” Peggy flung down her book 
and ran to the telephone. 

“Oh, Peggy,” said Diana’s plaintive voice, “it is so 


86 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


wet I have had to stay in all day; can’t you and Alice 
come and play with me?” 

“I guess so,” said Peggy, who was always ready to 
go anywhere; “I’ll ask mother.” 

“Don’t let’s go out, it is so wet,” said Alice, wh4 
was interested in the story. 

“I’m going if mother’ll let me,” said Peggy. 

Mrs. Owen had no objection, and, as Alice did not 
like to be left behind, she and Peggy put on their 
rubbers and raincoats. 

Alice gave Lady Janet a parting hug. “ You dar- 
ling, I am going to see your mother,” she said; “shall 
I give her your love? Peggy, she is licking my hand,” 
said Alice. 

The two children went out into the chilly October 
rain. Alice shivered, but Peggy was delighted to be 
out. She walked into every puddle she came to. 

“You’ll get your feet wet,” said Alice. 

“I’m just trying to see if it will go over my 
rubbers,” said Peggy. “Oh, it did that time — I 
did n’t think it would.” 

“You’ve got your feet very wet,” said Alice. 

“I know I have, but I can dry my shoes and 
stockings at Diana’s.” 

Diana was sitting before the fire in her room with 
a book. She jumped up and flung her arms about 
Alice, who was nearer her, and then about Peggy. 

“Peggy has got her feet wet,” said Alice anxiously. 
“She’ll have to put on some of your stockings while 
hers are drying.” 


THE GEOGRAPHY GAME 


87 


“I can’t get into Diana’s stockings,” Peggy said, 
as she looked down at her feet. “I’ll just sit in my 
bare feet until my shoes and stockings are dry.” 

“Uncle Joe and the boys may come in. I’ll get 
you some of mother’s,” said Diana. 

So Peggy was dressed in a pair of black silk stock- 
ings that were much too large for her, and a pair of 
bedroom slippers that were so big that she was afraid 
to walk for fear they would fall off. She liked the 
slippers very much, however, for they were such a 
pretty shade of blue, and they had black fur all 
around the edge. 

It was early in the afternoon, so the children settled 
down for a long play. They were beginning to wish 
they could think of something else to do when Uncle 
Joe came in. 

“How cozy you look,” said he. “Can you give a 
poor working-man a seat by the fire.?” 

Peggy who was nearest the fire, sprang up, forget- 
ting all about her slippers. 

“I think I see a bird in borrowed plumage,” said 
Uncle Joe. “Did you get your feet wet?” 

“I walked into a mud-puddle on purpose, for the 
fun of it,” said Peggy. “ I wanted to see if it would 
go over my rubbers. I did n’t think it would, but it 
did.” 

“Oh, Uncle Joe, can’t we play the geography 
game?” said Diana. “Peggy has never played it.” 

“I don’t like geography so very much,” said Alice. 


88 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


“It’s just a game,” said Diana. “We have to see 
who can say the forty-eight States quickest. We say 
them like the alphabet, those beginning with A first, 
and the one who gets the A’s done first looks them up 
on the map, to see where they are. It’s lots of fun.” 

“Diana likes it because she always beats Tom and 
Christopher,” said her uncle. 

“Let’s begin,” said Diana, “one, two, three.” 

But neither Peggy nor Alice could think of a single 
State beginning with A. 

“There are three,” said Diana. “You can look 
them up on the map and find them.” She brought 
out an atlas and turned to a map of the United 
States. 

Alice and Peggy pored over the map eagerly. 

“I’ve found one,” said Peggy, “it’s Arizona.” 

“Here is Alabama,” said Alice. 

“Here is another one, Arkansas,” said Peggy. 
“Now for the B’s.” 

“There are n’t any B’s,” said Diana. 

Tom and Christopher came in just then, and Peggy 
and Alice listened as the others played the game. 
Once in a while Peggy thought of a State beginning 
with the right letter, but, as a rule, she thought of the 
wrong States. Massachusetts would pop into her 
head when Uncle Joe was asking for I’s, and South 
Carolina when he wanted the K’s. It was quite dis- 
couraging, for the other children had played the game 
so much. 


THE GEOGRAPHY GAME 


89 


“This is only the first part of the game,” said 
Diana. “Uncle Joe has had us each trace a map of 
the United States, and then we play we have to live 
in one of the States that begins with the same letter 
our first name begins with; then we put the tracing 
over white cardboard and cut out our State, and we 
can paint it any color we like. We are going to put in 
the rivers and big towns by and by. I canT live in 
any State but Delaware,” she said regretfully. 

“There is only Pennsylvania for me to live in,” 
said Peggy. 

“Alice can live in Arizona or Alabama or Arkan- 
sas,” said Christopher. 

“I don’t want to live in any of them,” said Alice 
gently, with her sweetest smile. “I want to live just 
where I do live.” 

“But New Hampshire doesn’t begin with an A,” 
said Peggy. 

“I know it does n’t, but I don’t want to live in any 
other State.” 

“But it’s only a game,” said Peggy. “Don’t you 
want to play you live in nice Alabama where they 
have such warm winters, and there are such lots of 
cunning little black children?” 

“No, I don’t. I want to cut out a map of New 
Hampshire and paint it puik.” 

“But, Alice, you’ve got to play the game,” said 
Peggy. 

“I’m going to play my own kind of game and cut 


90 PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 

out a map of New Hampshire and paint it pink.” 

“ If she does n’t care to live in Alabama or Arizona 
or Arkansas, we might let her live in a State begin- 
ning with the first letter of her last name,” said Uncle 
Joe. “How do you feel about living in Ohio or Okla- 
homa or Oregon?” 

“I don’t want to live in any of those States. I 
want to live in New Hampshire and paint it pink.” 

“But you can’t,” Peggy insisted. “You’ve got to 
play the game.” 

Alice looked up beseechingly at Uncle Joe. She 
smiled and showed her dimples. “Dear Uncle Joe,” 
she said sweetly, “can’t you fix the game some way 
so I can live in New Hampshire and paint it pink?” 

Uncle Joe looked thoughtful. A bright idea oc- 
curred to him. “Alice, what word do the three last 
letters of your last name spell if you begin at the end 
and spell backwards?” 

“New,” said Peggy, before Alice could speak. 

“She can live in New Hampshire on that account,” 
said Uncle Joe. 

“That isn’t fair,” said Peggy. “I ought to be able 
to live in New Hampshire.” 

“You can if you like — or in New York, or New 
Jersey, or New Mexico.” 

Peggy was dazzled by these opportunities for 
travel. 

“It isn’t a bit fair,” said Christopher. “Poor 
Diana ought n’t to have to live in Delaware when 


THE GEOGRAPHY GAME 91 

Peggy and Alice have such a lot of States to choose 
from.” 

‘^It does n’t seem quite fair,” Uncle Joe admitted. 
“I’ll have to let Diana live in a State beginning with 
a C if she prefers.” 

“And I am C. C., so I don’t have much choice,” 
said Christopher. 

“When I get my map of Delaware painted and 
fixed and I’ve lived there awhile. I’ll come and live 
in Colorado with you, Christopher.” 

“I’m going to begin with Pennsylvania,” said 
Peggy. “ I ’m going to play the game in the right 
way. But where can Uncle Joe live? In Jersey with 
the New left off?” 

“As I’m uncle to half the children I know, I feel 
justified in taking up my residence in the State of 
Utah,” he said. 

“Mother,” Diana called out, as Mrs. Carter 
passed the door, “do come in; you can live in any of 
eight States, beginning with an M — Maine, Massa- 
chusetts — ” 

“My mother can, too,” Peggy interrupted. “Her 
name is Mary. What is your mother’s name?” 

“Her name is Mary, too.” 

The two little girls wondered at the coincidence. 

“Tom can only live in Tennessee or Texas,” said 
Diana. 

“I’m going to live in Texas,” said Tom. “Uncle 
Joe has been there. He said he saw a prairie fire once 


92 


PEGGY m HER BI.UE FROCK 


and it looked like the waves of the sea. And at the 
ranch where he was, the turkeys roosted in trees and 
the moon looked as big as a cart wheel.’' 

The children were soon busy tracing their States 
ynd cutting them out. Alice found New Hampshire 
so hard to do that she was sorry she had not chosen 
Alabama, but she would not let anybody know this 
on any account. She painted New Hampshire a 
delicate shade of pink. Peggy painted Pennsylvania 
a blue that shaded in with her blue frock. Diana 
painted Delaware green, and Tom chose crimson for 
Texas, the color of the college he hoped to go to some 
day. 

“I was going to paint Colorado crimson,” said 
Christopher. 

“ You can’t,” said Tom. “ I have chosen crimson.” 

“Can’t I paint Colorado crimson. Uncle Joe?” 

“If you like. I think I’ll paint Utah orange, so 
as to have as much variety as possible on the map.” 

“That is a good idea,” said Christopher; “I’ll 
paint Colorado yellow.” 

Alice and Peggy were so interested in the game that 
they played it every morning when they first waked 
up, and they got so they could say the forty-eight 
States while they were putting on their shoes and 
stockings. It amused them to see which States their 
different friends could live in. 

They felt there were very few children and still 
fewer grown people who ought to be told the game. 


THE GEOGRAPHY GAME 


93 


It was like a secret society. Some people were so 
scornful they would think it silly, and they did not 
care enough about most people to let them into the 
secret. Mrs. Owen thought it a good game, but she 
was too busy to play it. Age did not seem to make 
any difference. Old Michael, for instance, took to it 
very kindly. 

Peggy sat in the wheelbarrow one day while he 
was raking leaves and she explained the game to him. 

“You are very lucky,” she ended, “for you can 
live in so many States — Maine, Massachusetts — ” 
she began; and she said over the whole eight, ending 
with Minnesota. 

“I think I’ll try Minnesoty for a change,” said the 
old man. “I’ve a cousin who went out to St. Paul. 
Will you be my grandchild and come and keep house 
for me.^” 

“I’d love to, Mr. Farrell, but I have to live in 
Pennsylvania. I’m learning all about Wilham Penn 
and Independence Hall in Philadelphia, and Betsy 
Ross, who made the first fiag, so I can tell it to Uncle 
Joe when he comes back. And I have to read about 
New Hampshire to Alice, so I’m quite busy. Did you 
know it was called the Granite State, Mr. Farrell?” 

“I have heard tell as much.” 

“Oh, Mr. Farrell,” said Peggy hopping up, “do 
let me try to rake the leaves. They dance about as if 
they were at a party. What does Mrs. Farrell’s name 
begin with — can she go to Minnesota with you?” 


94 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


“Her name is Hattie. I guess my old woman will 
have to stay right here in New Hampshire. It is hard 
to break up families that way. My old woman and 
I have n ’t been separated for forty-two years, come 
Christmas.” 

Miss Betsy Porter was another of Peggy ’s friends 
who was greatly interested in the game. Peggy often 
dropped in to see her and her cat. Miss Betsy Porter 
always had something very good and spicy to eat. 
This time it was spice cake. Peggy was on her way 
back from the village with some buttons and tape 
for her mother, so she could not stop long. Miss 
Porter thought it a grand game. 

“Only, I am a woman without a country,” she 
said. “There are no States beginning with B, and 
I can’t even come in on Elizabeth.” 

“You can come in on your last name,” said Peggy. 
“You can live in Pennsylvania with me.” 

“That is great. I went to Philadelphia once when I 
was a girl.” And she told the eagerly listening Peggy 
all about the Quaker city with its straight streets and 
its old buildings. 

“I am afraid if your mother is in a hurry for those 
buttons and that tape,” said Miss Betsy, “you’d 
better be going home now, but some afternoon when 
you can stay longer I’ll read you a book about some 
of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.” 

“What a lucky child I am to have my name begin 
with a P,” Peggy said. “There can’t be any other 
State as interesting as Pennsylvania.” 


CHAPTER XII 

HOW PEGGY SPENT HER MONEY 

As Peggy was going out of Miss Betsy ’s kitchen door, 
some hens straggled along the grass. Some were 
brown and some were white and some were yellow. 
Peggy thought they were all fat, prosperous-looking 
hens. She admired their red combs and their yellow 
legs. 

‘T wish we had some hens,’* she said to Miss Betsy. 
“Eggs cost such a lot we can’t ever have any cake.” 

“I’d give you some fresh eggs to take back to your 
mother, only I am afraid you might slip and break 
them.” 

Peggy looked thoughtful. It would be nice to have 
the eggs, but it would be hard to have to walk home 
with the eggs on her mind. 

“Mother, I wish we kept hens,” she said as she 
ran into the kitchen. “Miss Betsy has such nice 
ones.” 

“How do you happen to know anything about 
Miss Betsy’s hens?” her mother asked. “Is calling 
on Miss Betsy your idea of coming straight home 
from the village? ” 

“You did n’t say to come straight home, truly, you 
did n’t, mother. I thought you would n’t mind my 
making a short call on her and the cat.” 


96 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


Mrs. Owen found it as hard to find fault with Peggy 
as it had been to find fault with Peggy ’s father. 

“ WeVe got a hen-house out in the yard,” Peggy 
went on. “The people who lived here before us must 
have kept hens, so it must be a good climate for 
them.” 

“I have a few things to do besides taking care of 
hens,” said Mrs. Owen firmly. 

‘T’d take all the care of them.” 

“I should as soon trust them to Lady Janet’s care.” 

“But Alice could help me. She’d remind me to 
feed them.” 

“And, besides, hens cost a great deal,” said Mrs. 
Owen. She had been thinking of the possibility of 
keeping hens. 

“Do chickens cost a lot.^ Could n’t we begin with 
little chickens and let them grow into hens?” 

“If we want eggs this winter we ’d have to buy 
hens.” 

“Maybe people will give us a few hens,” said 
Peggy hopefully. “Miss Betsy has a lot, and the 
Hortons’ farmer has millions; and the Thorntons 
have some, and so has Michael Farrell.” 

“My dear little girl, people who are so fortunate 
as to have hens prize them more than if they had 
gold. You might as well expect me to give away my 
preserves and canned vegetables.” 

Peggy was never tired of looking at the rows of 
jars of preserves and vegetables, and the tumblers of 


HOW PEGGY SPENT HER MONEY 97 

jelly that her mother had put up. The greater part 
of them had been sent away, and there was enough 
money in the bank from their sale to buy winter coats 
and hats for both of the children, besides something 
toward theii coal. 

went into the pantry for another look at the 
shelves. There was a pint jar of the precious straw- 
berry preserve and four pints of raspberries and a 
dozen pints of cherries from their own tree, and there 
were a gi’eat many jars of blueberries and blackberries, 
and there was currant jelly and grape jelly. Peggy 
liked the rich color of the strawberries and raspberries 
and cherries next the more somber blueberries and 
blackberries. 

The shelf where the vegetables were was almost 
more delightful in color. The green peas and beans 
were next the red tomatoes, and beyond them were a 
few jars of pale yellow corn. They had turnips and 
carrots and beets stored in the cellar, ready for use. 

The children felt very important, and as if their 
mother could not have had the garden without their 
help. As she believed in profit-sharing, she paid 
them for part of their work, while some they did 
just to help the garden along. At the end of the sea- 
son they had each earned nearly two dollars. Their 
mother made it quite two dollars and told them 
they could spend the money exactly as they pleased, 
provided they did not get anything to eat with it, 
like candy. 


98 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


“You can each get a toy if you like — something 
that won’t break too easily; or you can get some- 
thing to wear, or something growing — like a house 
plant.” 

As usual, Alice knew exactly what she wanted 
most. It was a doll carriage, and she and Peggy went 
down to the store and chose it. 

Peggy did not care for any of the toys. “I want 
something that’s alive,” she said, “like a canary-bird, 
or one of Miss Betsy ’s hens. I think I ’ll buy a hen — 
that will be most useful. If she laid an egg every 
day we could take turns in having a fresh egg.” 

“That would be great,” said Alice. 

Miss Betsy Porter was greatly interested in the 
children’s plan. “Only, are you sure your mother 
will be willing to let you keep hens?” she asked 
prudently. 

“Yes, we have a house for them, and she said we 
could get anything we liked. She had thought about 
keeping hens, only they are so expensive.” 

“I will sell you a Rhode Island Red,” said Miss 
Betsy. “They lay well, and I will throw in a fine 
young cock. My neighbors are complaining because 
the young spring roosters are beginning to crow, and 
I was expecting to have to send them to the market. 
I’ll let Michael Farrell take them up to your house 
this afternoon, if your mother will let you have them. 
You can stop at his house and send me word by him 
whether or not your mother wants thena.” 


HOW PEGGY SPENT HER MONEY 99 

Peggy and Alice went out into the yard with Miss 
Betsy to choose a hen and a rooster. 

“It is like a family,” said Peggy, “having two 
of them. They won’t be lonely. I shall call them 
Henry Cox and Henrietta Cox.” 

“Well, children, what did you buy with your two 
dollars.?” Mrs. Owen asked when they came home 
that morning. 

“I got a carriage for Belle,” said Alice. 

“And what did you get, Peggy?” 

She hesitated — “Something very useful,” she 
said. “Guess, mother. It’s something that will grow 
and something that is alive.” 

“A rose in a pot,” said her mother. 

Peggy laughed. “Oh, mother, you are Vay off. It 
has feathers.” 

“You have n’t bought a canary-bird?” Mrs. Owen 
said in tones of dismay. 

“No, mother, she is much more useful. It is a 
hen, and her name is Henrietta Cox, and Miss Betsy 
gave me a young cock because he crowed so he woke 
up the neighbors; and we haven’t any near neighbors. 
And his name in Henry Cox.” 

“A hen and a cock! Peggy, what will you think of 
next ! ” 

“You said I could get anything I liked, mother, 
and I am sure a hen is much more useful than a 
doll’s carriage. I’ll let you have one of her eggs every 
third morning for your breakfast.” 


100 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


“Did you ever stop to think how they were to be 
fed? Grain is so high now many people have stopped 
raising hens.” 

“Miss Betsy says the Rhode Island Reds are n’t 
so particular as some hens. She says you can feed 
them partly with sour milk and scraps oflP the table.” 

“ Sour milk I ” said Mrs. Owen ; “ it ’s all very well for 
Miss Betsy to talk about sour milk, for her brother 
keeps a cow, and he sends her all the skim milk she 
can use. I am surprised she let you have a hen and 
cock without consulting me.” 

“She did say she would send them up this after- 
noon by old Michael if you would let me have them,” 
faltered Peggy. “But, oh, mother dear, I do want 
them so much. It isn’t as if I had spent my money 
on something foolish, like candy.” 

“No, that is true,” said Mrs. Owen. After all, 
she had thought of keeping hens herself. 

“I’ll tell you what we’ll do, Peggy,” she said. 
“You can sell Henrietta’s eggs to me, when she 
begins to lay, at whatever the market price is, and 
the money can go toward their food, and if there is 
any left you can have it to spend. That will be a 
good lesson in arithmetic for us.” 

So Peggy and Alice ran over to old Michael’s house, 
where he was always to be found at his dinner-hour, 
to tell him the glad news. 

Mrs. Farrell came to the door. She was a prosper- 
ous, comfortable looking person, with a plump, trig 


HOW PEGGY SPENT HER MONEY 101 


figure and smoothly arranged white hair. Peggy 
thought of telling her about the geography game, 
but there was something about her that made her 
hesitate. She was afraid Mrs. Farrell would think 
it a crazy game, 

“Won’t you come in, you little dears.^” said Mrs. 
Farrell. 

Alice looked pleased at being called a “little dear,” 
but Peggy was all the more sure that Mrs. Farrell 
would not care for the geography game. 

“I just wanted to see Mr. Farrell a minute,” she 
said. 

“He is at dinner. Can’t you give me the message?” 

“I don’t think I could,” said Peggy. “It is very 
important, and it is not easy to remember all of it. 
We ’ll not keep him a minute — truly, we won’t.” 

“I guess I can remember the message if you can.” 

“It is about a hen and a rooster that Miss Betsy 
Porter wants him to call for to send down to our 
house — only mother wants our hen-house fixed 
first.” 

How bald it seemed put in this way! If only she 
could have seen old Michael himself, how differently 
she would have worded the message! 

“It is n’t very hard to remember that message, 
dearie,” said Mrs. Farrell, in her cooing voice. 

Peggy hated to have her call her “dearie.” Half 
the pleasure in her purchase would be gone if she 
could not see old Michael. Suddenly, she had a bright 


102 


PEGGY IN HER BI.UE FROCK 


idea. She ran around the side of the house to the 
kitchen window and waved her hand to old Michael. 

It was one of the warm days in late autumn, and 
she was still wearing one of her blue frocks. Her hair 
was flying about and she pushed it back. Old 
Michael loved children, and he never hesitated to 
come at their call. He hastily shoved a large piece 
of apple pie into his mouth, and, seizing a piece of 
cheese, he came out of the kitchen door. They were 
out of hearing of Mrs. Farrell — that unfortunate 
“Hattie,” who was doomed alWys to live in New 
Hampshire, while her husband was free to travel 
into any State, beginning with M, where his imagi- 
nation led him. 

“Well, what is it now?” he asked. 

“Oh, Mr. Farrell, the most wonderful thing has 
happened!” said Peggy; “I have bought such a 
lovely hen from Miss Betsy Porter, and she has 
given me a young rooster, and I am going to play 
they are people from the State of Rhode Island; and 
their names are Mr. Henry Cox and Mrs. Henrietta 
Cox — only, of course, for most people, they are 
just a cock and hen — just two Rhode Island Reds.” 

“I see,” said old Michael. “But why are you 
telling me about it?” 

“Miss Betsy said you could bring them to us 
this afternoon. She said you were working for 
her, but mother wanted the hen-house fixed up a 
little first. Can you do it to-morrow?” 


HOW PEGGY SPENT HER MONEY 103 


“I see,” said old Michael; “you want the apart- 
ment in the hotel made ready for Mr. and Mrs. 
Cox?” 

“Oh, yes,” Peggy said, laughing with delight; “I 
want everything done for the people who are renting 
my house.” 

“All right, Peggy, I’ll look out for the comfort of 
your tenants.” 

“My tenants are not going to keep any maid, Mr. 
Farrell; I’ve got to give them most of their meals, 
although they will get some out, and I thought you’d 
advise me what food is cheapest and best.” 

They talked about the best food for Mr. and Mrs. 
Cox all the way to Peggy’s house, where Mr. Farrell 
stopped to inspect the hen-house on his way to Miss 
Porter ’s. 

“I always meant to keep hens sometime,” Mrs. 
Owen confided to Mr. Fan ell, “but I did not mean 
to begin this winter.’' 

“If you have them at all, you might as well have 
a few more,” he said; “ it is a little like summer board- 
ers — the more you have, the more profit you get.” 

“I know,” said Mrs. Owen, “but unfortunately, 
you have to begin by buying the hens.” 


CHAPTER XIII 

MRS. OWEN’S SURPRISE PARTY 

Mrs. Owen was to have a birthday, and Peggy and 
Alice felt something especial ought to be done to 
celebrate it. It was Miss Pauline Thornton who put 
the idea of a surprise party into Peggy ’s head. She 
came over one rainy evening to tell Mrs. Owen about 
a surprise party the Sewing Circle was to give to the 
minister’s wife on her fiftieth birthday. Miss Paul- 
ine Thornton lived with her father in the large gray 
stone house behind the stone wall on which Peggy 
was fond of walking. She was a great friend of 
Mrs. Owens, who could never understand why the 
children did not like her, for she was tall and good- 
looking and always wore beautiful clothes. Older 
people found her very agreeable and eflScient. Mrs. 
Owen helped her off with her raincoat. Underneath 
it was a dress the color of violets. 

If Miss Pauline had been the kind of person with 
whom one could play the geography game, Peggy 
thought what a good time they could have had living 
together in Pennsylvania. But as it was, [she did 
not like to spend even a half-hour with her. Miss 
Pauline’s big house seemed dreary to Peggy, with 
its high ceilings and stately furniture and pictures. 
When she went there to call with her mother, she 


MRS. OWEN’S SURPRISE PARTY 


105 


always hoped that she might see the collie dog and 
Miss Pauline’s father. She liked old Mr. Thornton. 
He had white hair and a kind face, and he looked 
as if he might like to play the geography game, if only 
his daughter was not there, but she always was there. 

Mrs. Owen was reading aloud to the children when 
Miss Thornton came in. 

“I did n’t mean to interrupt; I thought the chil- 
dren were always in bed by this time,” she said, 
glancing at the clock. 

“It is their bedtime, but I was late in beginning 
to read to them to-night. You can finish the story 
to yourselves if you like.” 

“Are n’t you going to shake hands with me, 
Peggy?” Miss Thornton asked. 

Peggy slowly unlocked her arms, which she had 
folded behind her, and held out an unwilling hand. 

“W^hat is the story that is so interesting?” Miss 
Thornton asked, as she took the book out of Peggy’s 
other hand. 

“‘Snow White and Rose Red,’” she said. “I 
never cared for fairy-tales when I was a child.” 

Peggy and Alice seated themselves in the same 
chair, with the book between them. 

“You ought to come over nearer the light; you will 
strain your eyes,” said Miss Thornton. 

Mrs. Owen gave up her seat to the children and 
Miss Thornton began to talk about the surprise 
party. 


106 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


Peggy soon found herself listening. 

“It is to be in the afternoon — hke an afternoon 
tea,” she said. 

“Are all the parish to be there — men as well as 
women?” asked Mrs. Owen. 

“No, only the women. It is what Prissy Baker 
calls a ‘hen-party.’” 

Peggy could keep silent no longer. “Do you mean 
people are going to give her hens?” she asked. 

“Hens? No; that is just an expression, Peggy; 
that means a party of ladies.’^ 

Peggy was silent. She might have known that 
they would not have thought of anything so inter- 
esting. The fact that they were to take the minister’s 
wife ten five-dollar gold pieces, in a silk bag, was 
a poor substitute, indeed, for living, cackling, laying 
hens. 

After the children went to bed, they could still 
hear Miss Pauline’s voice going on and on. 

“It’s funny mother likes her so much,” Peggy 
said. “If I ever grow up I shall have friends who 
hke to do interesting things, and read fairy-stories, 
and talk on nice subjects, the way Miss Betsy Porter 
does. Oh, Alice,” she said, shutting up her eyes and 
then opening them wide, “I am beginning to see 
things on the wall. Look and see what is coming.” 

Ahce stared at the wall, in the darkness, but as 
usual, she could see nothing. “What do you see?’* 
she asked. 


MES. OWEN’S SURPRISE PARTY 


107 


“Hens!” Peggy exclaimed dramatically; “white 
ones, Rhode Island Reds, Plymouth Rocks, yellow 
ones — all kinds, a regular procession; and I see 
ladies, too, in bright dresses. They are all going to 
a hen party.’’ 

“I wish I could see them,” said Alice. “Do you 
really see them, Peggy?” 

“Yes, in my mind’s eye. It is such a nice picture. 
Alice,” she cried, “let ’s have a surprise party of 
just hens for mother I” 

“That would be great I” said Alice. 

“We ’d ask Mrs. Horton and Clara and Miss 
Rand.” 

“They wouldn’t come all the way from New 
York.” 

“They might come. Sometimes they do come 
for a week-end, and her birthday comes on a Sat- 
urday. And we’ll ask all the Carters, of course. 
Each family need only give one hen.” 

“And Miss Pauline Thornton,” said Alice. “They 
have lots of hens.” 

“No,” said Peggy firmly; “I’m not going to ask 
her. She’d spoil the party.” 

“She had on a lovely gown,” said Alice, “ and she’s 
one of mother’s best friends.” 

Peggy went to consult Miss Betsy Porter about 
the party, and Miss Betsy thought it a fine idea. 
She said that Peggy and Alice could bring their 
note-paper, with colored pictures on it, down to her 


108 PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 

house, and write the notes, and she would enclose 
them in a note she would write each person, so they 
would know there was some responsible person to 
help about the surprise party, and that it was not 
merely an idea of the children ’s. She said she would 
bring a loaf of her best spice cake and some cookies 
and sandwiches, and she knew that Mrs. Carter 
would be delighted to make and pour the tea, and 
Miss Thornton would pour the chocolate. 

“But I don’t want Miss Pauline,” said Peggy. 
“She would spoil the party.” 

“But she is one of your mother’s best friends. 
Whose birthday is it, Peggy? Yours or your 
mother’s ? ” 

“Mother’s,” said Peggy, hanging her head. 

“Pauline is a good sort,” said Miss Betsy. “There 
is no use in disliking good people, Peggy. I think it 
had better be a small party, for your mother would 
not want the care of many hens, and, besides, small 
parties are the most fun. We’ll ask all of the 
Carters — that will make five.” 

“Six with Uncle Joe — I know he’ll come on 
’specially for it, if I ask him,” said Peggy. “He 
need n ’t bring a hen, because he belongs to the 
family. There’s to be just one hen for every family.” 

“Then, if Mrs. Horton and Miss Rand and Clara 
should come on,” said Miss Porter, “that would 
make nine, I would make ten, and Miss Pauline 
eleven.” 


MRS. OWEN’S SURPRISE PARTY 


109 


“If I’ve got to have Miss Pauline,” said Peggy, 
with a sigh, “I’m going to have the dog and her 
father.” 

“All right,” said Miss Betsy, “that will make 
one hen for the Carters, one for the Hortons, — for 
I’m sure they will give a hen, even if they can’t 
come themselves, — one for the Thorntons, and one 
for me.” 

“Not one for you,” said Peggy. “You have given 
me Mr. Henry Cox already.” 

“I would not be left out on any account,” said 
Miss Betsy. “Six hens would be as many as your 
mother would want, as she isn’t planning to run a 
poultry farm. I am sure Mrs. Horton would like to 
give a pair — she has so many. I’ll suggest they send 
Rhode Island Reds — it is better to have all of a 
kind.” 

“I think it would be more fun to have them 
different,” said Peggy. 

“They get along better if they are all of a kind,” 
said Miss Betsy. “I have too many kinds, but I 
can give you another Rhode Island Red. It is like 
the Jews and the Italians — they are happier in a 
quarter by themselves.” 

“It will be a Rhode Island Red Quarter,” said 
Peggy, in delight. “I can name one Mrs. Rhoda 
Rhodes.” 

“I know some people who are named Henn,” 
said Miss Betsy, 


110 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


Peggy looked doubtful. “It may be all right 
for people,” she said, “but I don’t like it for hens. 
I think Henderson sounds nicer.” 

She and Alice sat down to write the notes. Miss 
Betsy made no suggestions, but they were glad to 
ask her about the spelling. Peggy wrote the notes 
to the Carters and Hortons, and Alice wrote the 
one to Miss Thornton. 

Dear Mrs, Carter, Peggy wrote — 

Mother is to have a birthday a week from next 
Saturday, and we are going to celebrate it by giving 
her a surprise party consisting of hens, — each 
family to bring one hen, — Rhode Island Reds 
preferred, — as we have Mr. Henry Cox and Mrs. 
Henrietta Cox already. Please ask Uncle Joe to 
come. He need not bring a separate hen, but can 
join in with you. Old Michael Farrell has them for 
sale. 

Your loving friend 

Peggy 

This invitation is for you all, — Dr. Carter, if 
he is not too busy, — Tom, Christopher, and Diana. 

“You haven’t given the hour, or asked her to 
pour tea,” Miss Betsy said, as she read the note 
through. 

“Oh, bother! so I haven’t. I’ll put in a post- 
script:” 


MRS. OWEN’S SURPRISE PARTY 


111 


The party will begin at four o’clock. We’d like 
it if you would pour tea. 

Alice’s note was as follows: 

Dear Miss Pauline, 

We are going to have a surprise party for mother 
a week from next Saturday, at four o’clock. Will 
you please wear your pretty violet gown and pour 
chocolate and bring a hen. Please bringy our father 
and Bruno. 

Your loving little friend 

Alice Owen 

When Saturday came there was great excitement 
at the Owens’ house. The children dressed Lady 
Janet up with a blue ribbon, which Peggy with 
difficulty tied in a bow around her resisting neck. 
They gave their mother the little presents they had 
for her at breakfast-time. It seemed strange she 
was so unsuspicious. 

After the dinner dishes were done, she said she 
thought she would go down to see Miss Thornton 
for a little while, and she invited the children to go 
with her. 

“We don’t want to go,” said Peggy. 

“I think you ought to change your gown, mother, 
and put on your pretty black one, with the thin 
sleeves,” said Alice. 


112 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


“My dear child, why should I put on my best 
gown just to call on a friend? ” 

“Because it is your birthday,” said Peggy. “We 
are going to dress up, too. One never knows what 
jnay happen on a birthday. Somebody might call.” 

If Mrs. Owen began to suspect that something 
unusual was to happen, she showed no sign of it, 
but she obediently went up and put on her black 
gown, with the thin sleeves, while Peggy and Alice 
dressed up in their best white frocks. Peggy wore 
a blue sash and Alice a pink one. 

“It will be great to get mother out of the house,” 
said Peggy. “I’ll telephone to Miss Pauline that 
she is coming, so she can slip out before she gets 
there, and Mr. Thornton can keep mother until 
four o’clock, and then he and Bruno can walk back 
with her.” 

“That will be great,” said Alice. 

Mrs. Owen was disappointed not to find Pauline 
at home, and she was going to call on Mrs. Carter 
when Mr. Thornton invited her in with such a 
courtly bow that she could not refuse. She noticed 
that he gave an uneasy glance at the clock, from 
time to time. 

“I am afraid I am keeping you from some engage- 
ment,” she said at last. 

“I was going out for a walk with Bruno at four,” 
said he. “We will walk home with you if you will 
let us.” 


MRS. OWEN’S SURPRISE PARTY 113 

“ I shall be delighted, and so will the children.” 

There was no one in sight when she opened the 
front door, but there was a suspicious noise from 
the dining-room. People seemed to be walking about 
and setting the table. 

“I think I am going to have a surprise party,” 
said Mrs. Owen. “Won’t you stay for it.^^ ” 

“That is just what I mean to do,” said Mr. Thorn- 
ton. “ Bruno and I had an especial invitation.” 

The dining-room door opened, and who should 
come into the parlor but Mrs. Owen’s dear friend 
Mrs. Horton, who she thought was miles away. 

“Hester!” she cried, in delight. And the two 
ladies kissed each other, just as heartily as if they 
had been little girls. 

“Why, Clara, how do you do? Here are more 
surprises,” she said. 

Clara gave a stiff little curtsey and held up her 
cheek primly to be kissed. 

“And Miss Rand, too; this is great! Oh, and 
Mr. Beal! I did not see you at first. What a de- 
lightful party this is!” and she greeted Mrs. Carter 
and her children, as they came out of the dining- 
room. 

“The doctor had to go out of town to see a pa- 
tient,” said Mrs. Carter, “but he hopes to get here 
before we go.” 

Then the door from the kitchen opened, and Miss 
Betsy Porter came into the dining-room with the 


114 PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 

chocolate urn, and Miss Pauline followed with plates 
of cake. 

It was a delightful party. Everybody enjoyed it. 
The only trouble was that Uncle Joe found so much 
to say to Miss Pauline that Peggy did not see as much 
of him as she would have liked. If he had to talk to 
a grown-up young lady, she did not see why he did 
not talk to Miss Rand — she was so much nicer. 

Mrs. Owen had no idea there was anything more 
in the way of a surprise. She drank her cup of tea 
and talked to Mrs. Horton and Mrs. Carter with 
pleasure that seemed to shine out from her face. 

“Would you take me out to the hen-house, to 
see your cock and hen, Mrs. Owen?” Mr. Thornton 
asked, a little later. “I have heard so much about 
Peggy’s new family, I’d like to see them.” 

“Certainly,” said Mrs. Owen, a little surprised; 
“they are not much to look at, just a pair of Rhode 
Island Reds.” 

She was surprised to find all of her guests following 
them, but she had no suspicions. They went out of 
the front door, and walked around through the side 
yard to the back of the house. What was Mrs. Owen’s 
surprise to see a sign on the hen-house, painted in 
red letters, outlined in white: 

HOTEL HENNERY 

she read. “Why, how amazing I ” she said. 

“It’s Mr. Farrell’s present to you, mother,” 


MRS. OWEN’S SURPRISE PARTY 


115 


Peggy said. “He has been working at home, paint- 
ing that board, and he put it up while you were at 
Mr. Thornton ’s. Is n’t it a nice sign? ” 

As Mrs. Owen came near the hen-house, she stood 
still, in amazement. It seemed as if something was 
the matter with her eyes, and she was seeing double. 
For there, walking about the netted-in hen-yard, 
with an air of being completely at home, were not 
only Henry ^ and Henrietta Cox, but two others, 
closely resembling Henrietta. 

“They are Henrietta’s cousins,” Peggy explained, 
“the Henderson sisters. Charity and Hope, and 
Faith is inside the house.” Sure enough, there was 
Faith and another lady from Rhode Island whom 
Peggy introduced to her mother as Biddy Henshaw. 
But who was the seventh feathered person walking 
out of the door? Peggy counted again — yes, there 
were the three Hendersons and Biddy Henshaw — 
that made four; and Rhoda Rhodes, and her own 
dear Henrietta, and Henry Cox — six hens and a 
cock — there were surely seven hens. Where did the 
seventh come from? She counted them over and 
over again. There were seven. Who had brought 
the seventh? She asked everybody. No one knew. 
Suddenly, she knew as well as if she had been told. 
It must have been old Michael. He had brought it 
as a surprise when he came with the sign. And the 
hen’s name flashed into her mind. 

“Mother,” she said, “this is Angelica Seraphina 
Hen-Farrell.” 


116 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


“ What a silly name!” said Clara. 

“I’m tired of giving them sensible names,” said 
Peggy. 

And so the surprise party turned into a surprise 
for Peggy herself. Peggy had asked old Michael to 
come to the surprise party, but he had refused. 

“ I have n’t the right clothes to wear,” he said. 

“It doesn’t matter about the clothes,” said 
Peggy. “It is the person inside them.” 

Old Michael was so curious to see how Peggy took 
the surprise of the seventh hen that he strolled 
around to see. He had on his working clothes, but 
his face and hands had been well scrubbed after the 
day’s work was over. He waited until the grown-up 
people turned to go back into the house, and then 
came forward where Peggy could see him. Alice, 
followed by the other children, was going toward 
the house. 

“Well, Peggy, was it a good surprise party?” 
he asked. 

“It was great, and I got surprised myself! How 
nice of you to give mother Angelica Seraphina Hen- 
Farrell! That is her name, is n’t it? ” 

“Certainly,” said Mr. Farrell. “How did you 
happen to know it?” 

“It just popped into my head,” said Peggy. “I 
shut up my eyes, and I just seemed to know she 
was Angelica Seraphina Hen-Farrell.” 

“She is called ‘Angel’ for short,” he said. 


MRS. OWEN’S SURPRISE PARTY 117 

“Angel? What a nice name! I’m so glad we have 
seven hens. Don’t you like odd numbers best, Mr. 
Farrell? I think they are much more interesting.” 

“They say there is luck in odd numbers,” he said 

“ Alice likes even numbers best,” said Peggy. 

“Yes, she would; she’s a kind of even-dispositioned 
young one.” 

“Yes, Alice is a darling,” said Peggy. 

“There are other darlings round here,” he said. 

“Yes, seven of them: Hope, Faith, and Charity 
Henderson; Biddy Henshaw, Rhoda Rhodes, Angel 
Hen-Farrell, and my own dear Henrietta Cox. Oh, 
there are eight — I forgot Mr. Henry Cox. He’s 
the greatest darling of them all.” 


CHAPTER XIV 

A CHRISTMAS EGG 

Carols are what one thinks of at Christmas, and 
eggs seem to belong to Easter, but this was an especial 
egg that was very dear to Peggy because it was one 
of the first. Peggy and Alice had hunted with such 
anxious care, every morning in Hotel Hennery, to see 
if they could find any eggs,^and each morning they 
were disappointed; for all the hens were moulting. 

“ It does seem as if they need n’t all moult at the 
same time,” said Peggy. “I do hope somebody will 
begin to lay before Thanksgiving, so we can have 
a Thanksgiving egg. Henrietta, don’t you think 
you could give me just one egg for Thanksgiving? ” 
Whatever Henrietta’s thoughts were, she kept 
them to herself, and not one hen produced an egg 
in time for Thanksgiving. 

Mrs. Owen, with Peggy and Alice, dined with the 
Carters. Mrs. Carter wrote saying what pleasure 
it would give them all if they could come, and she 
added there would be no other guests except her hus- 
band’s Aunt Betsy and her brother Joe. She hoped 
it would not be too hard for Mrs. Owen to have 
a Thanksgiving dinner in her own old house; if she 
did not feel like it, she would understand. 


A CHRISTMAS EGG 


119 


Dear Mrs, Carter Mrs. Owen replied — 

It would be much harder to stay at home than 
to go to you. The greatest cause I have for Thanks- 
giving this year is the fact that you are my friend, 
and that Diana is the friend of my children. Since 
we had to leave the house, I am glad it is you who 
are living in it. 

Faithfully yours 

Mary Owen 

So the children had a happy Thanksgiving, even 
without the Thanksgiving egg. And still Peggy and 
Alice looked eagerly for eggs and could not find 
even one. Autumn had changed to winter, and still 
the hens were moulting, and there were no eggs. 
The vegetable garden, at the back of the house, 
was now turned into a fairy country, for the brown 
earth was covered with a snowy quilt, and every 
twig on the trees and shrubs was encased in diamonds. 
The snow came suddenly — one night, when the 
children went to bed, the ground had been bare, 
and in the morning the world seemed all made 
over new. But still the dwellers in Hotel Hennery 
showed no signs of laying eggs. 

And then one morning, a few days before Christ- 
mas, just as the children had given up hope, Peggy 
found an egg. It was a thrilling moment, and Angel 
Hen-Farrell was so proud to be the first of the hens 
to lay an egg that she would not stop talking about 
it. What she said sounded to Alice like “Cut-cut- 


120 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


cad-ar-cut, cadarcut, cadarcut,” but Peggy said sh^ 
was talking a foreign language. 

“I can translate it for you, Alice,” she said; ‘"it 
is the Rhode Island Red language.” 

“What is she saying.?” 

“She is saying: ‘Come and look at my first egg 
of the season. It is very beautiful. The shell is of 
the palest brown, like coffee ice-cream. It is very 
beautiful. Look at it, all ye hens who have laid 
nothing. It is very beautiful — of palest brown, 
like coffee ice-cream.’” 

Diana had one of her ill turns, just before Christ- 
mas; and the poor little girl had to spend Christ- 
mas in bed. She was much better when the day 
came, but her father said she must not get up, but 
that she could see Peggy and Alice for a little while 
in the afternoon. 

The children had hung their stockings up the night 
before, and they had been surprised and delighted 
with their presents. Peggy wanted to take them up 
to show to Diana. 

“But there are such a lot of them,” Alice pro- 
tested, “and some of them are so big.” 

“We can wear up the furs and stocking-caps and 
mittens,” said Peggy, “and we can put the other 
things in a basket and carry them up on our new 
sled. She’d love to see her namesake.” 

“I’m not going to take Diana out in such slippery 
walking,” said Alice, “ she might get a fall and break 
her head.” 


A CHRISTMAS EGG 


121 


“As you please,” said Peggy; “but I know if I 
liked a person well enough to name a child after her, 
I’d take her up the first minute, slippery or not.” 

“You might,” said Alice, “ but I’m not going to. 
She is my child, and she’s very breakable.” 

“Well, anyway, I am going to take Diana a Christ- 
mas egg, breakable or not.” 

“It isn’t your egg; it ’s mother’s,” Alice reminded 
her; for Henrietta had not begun to lay. 

“I’m sure mother will let me have an egg to give 
to Diana, won’t you, mother?” 

“Certainly,” said Mrs. Owen; “I should never 
have had any of my Rhode Island friends if it had 
not been for Peggy.” 

“I think I’ll write a verse to go with the egg,” 
said Peggy. 

Alice admired the way in which Peggy could write 
verses. Peggy had only to take a pencil in hand, and a 
verse seemed to come out on the paper. “ I think the 
verses live inside the pencil,” Peggy once said. She 
liked a blue pencil best. It seemed to have more in- 
teresting verses living inside it than a black one. 

“ I ’d like to see if I can do it,” Alice said. 

“All right,” and Peggy handed the pencil over. 
“Don’t hold it so tight; hold it loosely, like this.” 

But the pencil would write nothing for Alice, no 
matter how she held it. And Peggy had only held 
it a few minutes before she wrote a verse. She sat 
with her eyes tight shut, for she said she could 


m PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 

think better. And presently Peggy and the pencil 
wrote a Christmas verse. She liked it so well she 
copied it on a sheet of her best Christmas note-paper. 
At the head of the sheet was the picture of a window 
with a lighted candle and a Christmas wreath; and 
there were a boy and a girl outside, singing Christmas 
carols. This was the verse that Peggy and the pencil 
wrote. 

“I’d like to send a Christmas carol. 

To please and cheer my dear Diana : 

But here’s an egg Angel Hen-Farrell 

Has laid in her besj; Christmas manner.” 

Mrs. Owen packed the egg carefully with cotton 
wool in a small box. She folded the paper with the 
verse on it and put that on top. She tied the box 
up with some Christmas ribbon that had come around 
one of Peggy’s presents. The ribbon had holly 
leaves with red berries on it. She slipped a tiny 
Santa Claus card under the ribbon. On the card 
Peggy wrote, “ Diana, from a friend who lives in 
Hotel Hennery.” 

Peggy put the box in a bag, and some other pres- 
ents for Diana, from Mrs. Owen and Alice and her- 
seK; and they put in a few of their presents and cards 
to show her. It was very slippery. Their mother went 
with them as far as the Thorntons’ and she carried the 
bag. Then Peggy carried it, for a time, and then 
Alice. Peggy fell down once. She landed on the back 
of her head, but she held the bag out in front of her 
so the egg should not get broken. 


A CHRISTMAS EGG 


123 


Diana was delighted to see them. She was in bed, in 
a pretty brown woolen dressing-gown, that was just 
the shade of her hair and eyes. The bed was covered 
with books and games, and there were two dolls 
leaning against the footboard, and one in Diana’s 
arms. She was a pretty doll, with yellow hair, al- 
most the color of Peggy’s hair, and eyes that opened 
and shut. 

“See, she shuts her eyes tight, just as you do, 
Peggy, when you are thinking hard,” said Diana. 
“She looks quite a lot like you.” 

“Her eyes are blue and mine are gray,” said Peggy. 
“I wonder why they never make dolls with gray 
eyes.” 

“She is named for you,” Diana announced. “Tom 
and Christopher gave her to me, and she came with 
her name written on a Christmas card that was 
pinned to her dress, ‘Peggy Owen Carter,’ and Tom 
wrote a poem that came with her.” 

Diana hunted through the box which held her 
Christmas cards and letters, and finally found the 
verses, which she read aloud. 

Closed in her room, in her white bed. 

Poor little suffering martyr, 

While others skate or coast with sled. 

There lies Diana Carter. 

“But she ’s so joyous in her mind. 

She makes our Christmas merry. 

She ’s quite adorably kind. 

With lips like a red berry. 


124 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 

“A holly berry, bright and gay, 

Some children may be smarter. 

But there ’s no child on Christmas Day 
Sweeter than dear Di Carter. 

“So, while in her white bed she lies, 

Poor little Christmas martyr. 

We give her as a glad surprise. 

Miss Peggy Owen Carter. 

“Her eyes are blue, her hair is gold. 

She surely in a charmer. 

We rescued her, like knights of old. 

And vowed that naught should harm her. 

“For she was living in a shop. 

In a glass case, this treasure. 

Where she could neither run nor hop, 

With weary months of leisure. 

“So Peggy Owen Carter comes. 

With joyous Christmas greeting, 

A carol gay, she softly hums, 

Joy *s long, if time is fleeting.” 

*‘What a nice poem,” said Peggy, with a sigh of 
envy. 

“Yes, isn’t it?” said Diana. 

“I wish I could write poetry like that,” said Peggy. 
“I just wrote one verse. It ’s in my present to you.” 

“Oh, have you brought me a present? ” Diana said, 
in delight. 

“Yes, mother and Alice and I have each given you 
one, and there is this one from Angel Hen-Farrell.” 
“An egg I” Diana cried. “Father said I could have 


A CHRISTMAS EGG 


125 


an egg for my supper. I’ll have it dropped on toast. 
I could n’t have any of the Christmas dinner, ex- 
cept the oyster soup.” 

“Oh, you poor darling!” said Peggy. 

“ It was very good soup,” said Diana, “ and I was se 
happy to have Peggy Owen Carter and the rest of my 
presents; and the carols, last night, were so lovely I ” 

“ Carols last night? ” the children cried. “ We did n’t 
hear any.” 

“The Christmas Waits came and sang under my 
window. I could see them from my bed. The leader 
carried a torch so the others could see to read their 
books. He had on a red cloak. And they sang such 
beautiful carols!” 

“Oh, why did n’t they come out and sing to us?” 
said Alice. 

“You are pretty far out of town. I think they only 
sang to sick people and old people. They went up to 
the hospital, and they asked father for a list of his 
patients who were not too sick to be disturbed by the 
singing.” 

“Well, anyway, I ’d rather have been well than to 
have heard the carols,” said Peggy. “You poor dear, 
I can’t get over your being in bed on Christmas Day.” 

But Diana’s eyes were shining. “I should n’t have 
had Tom’s poem if I had been well,” she said, “or the 
Christmas egg. Even if one is sick, Christmas is the 
happiest time in all the year.” 


CHAPTER XV 
THE GREAT STORM 

That was a winter of great storms. They began 
in November, and the snow piled up higher and 
higher, so that when one went down to the shops, one 
walked between walls of snow. The oldest inhabi- 
tant remembered nothing like it. 

“It seems like going up mountains,” Peggy said 
to Alice, one day when they came to a house where 
the sidewalk had not been shoveled out. 

It was a wonderful winter for children, for such 
coasting and tobogganing had never been known. It 
was not such a good winter for creatures who wore fur 
and feathers. Lady Janet, who had never known any 
other winter and did not realize that the oldest inhab- 
itant had not known one like it, would return from an 
encounter with the snowflakes in dazed wonder and 
take her seat on a chair in front of the kitchen stove, 
or she would patiently watch by a mouse-hole for 
hours together. 

The inhabitants of Hotel Hennery took life placidly, 
although they were confined to the hotel. But, hav- 
ing nothing more interesting to do, they turned their 
attention to laying eggs; after January set in, they 
all began to lay, so that Mrs. Owen and the children 
each had a fresh egg for breakfast most of the time. 


THE GREAT STORM 


127 


The snow-storms grew more and more frequent as 
the winter passed, and the snow was deeper and 
deeper. It was all great fun for Alice and Peggy. 
They never tired of the coasting and the wall^ to 
and from school. It was hard for Diana, however, 
for in stormy or very cold weather she had to stay 
in the house. She was so much better after the sum- 
mer that, in the autumn, she began to go to school. 
Diana was in the same room with Peggy, in the 
class below her. She had to be out of school almost 
half the time. 

“I wouldn’t mind being out of school,” said Alice. 
“Think of having no lessons to get and staying in 
that lovely room with a wood fire on the hearth, 
and everybody coming to see you.” 

“You wouldn’t like it a bit if you didn’t feel 
well,” said Peggy. “Think of not being able to go 
coasting.” 

The children went to see Diana almost every day, 
and there did not seem to be any room quite so pleas- 
ant as Diana’s room, with the fire on the hearth and 
the blooming flowers. 

Diana was often well enough to be downstairs in 
the parlor, and this was a pleasant room, too. It 
seemed strange to the children to think it was their 
own old parlor, for it was so differently arranged. 
There was a large piano at which Diana practiced 
when she was well enough. It took up the side of the 
room where their mother’s writing-desk had been. 


128 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


Their piano was an upright one, and it had been on 
the opposite side of the room. Small as it was, it al- 
most filled up one side of their tiny parlor now. It 
had been used very little since it had gone to its new 
surroundings, for there was no longer any money for 
music-lessons, and Mrs. Owen had been too busy to 
touch it; besides, she had never played a great deal, 
except the accompaniments for her husband’s singing. 
So the piano was resting. But Mrs. Owen had deter- 
mined that, just as soon as she had got ahead a little, 
the children should have their music-lessons again. 

Alice’s birthday came in February, and when her 
mother asked her what she would like best, in the way 
of a celebration, she did not hesitate a minute. 

“I should like to have Diana come the night before 
and spend the whole day.” 

“Don’t you want any one else.^” 

“No one else,” said Alice, “except you and Peggy, 
of course. I never have played dolls all I wanted to, 
because Peggy does n’t like to play, and so, on my 
birthday, I’d like to have just a feast of dolls, from 
morning until night.” 

“ But there will be your school,” said her mother. 
“I could n’t let you skip that.” 

“Couldn’t you? I thought perhaps you could.” 

“No, I could n’t. I think it would be better if 
Diana came to dinner and for the afternoon.” 

“No,” said Alice, “the night is the best part. 
Peggy can sleep in the spare room, and we can have 


THE GREAT STORM 


no 


our dolls sleep with us, and the next day, Diana can 
rest while I go to school/’ 

It seemed a pretty good plan — Alice’s plans were 
usually reasonable. The only doubt was, whether 
Diana would be well enough to make the little visit. 
But she was well enough, and her father drove her 
down in his sleigh, all bundled up in many wraps. 
Diana had on a brown cap made of beaver fur that 
almost matched her golden-brown hair. And over 
this, to make sure she did not take cold, was a thick, 
brown veil. Wrapped around her shoulders and 
pinned with a large gilt pin, in the shape of a feather, 
was a warm, green-and-blue plaid shawl. Under 
this was her own brown coat, and under that, a blue 
sweater. Peggy undid her wraps and pulled off her 
blue mittens. 

They had a fire in the parlor because Diana was 
coming, and they gave Diana the small company 
chair that their grandmother used to sit in when she 
was a little girl. 

While Peggy was busy getting Diana out of her 
wraps, Alice was taking off the wraps of her name- 
sake Alice, and those of Peggy Owen Carter, for 
Diana had been asked to bring these two with her. 
The dolls were wrapped up in the same way their 
little mother was, only they wore hoods instead 
of fur caps, and they did not have sweaters under 
their coats. But they were carefully wrapped up in 
Turkish towels, instead of shawls. 


130 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


“I hope my children have not taken cold,” said 
Diana. “Peggy is rather delicate.” 

“I won’t have a delicate namesake,” said Peggy. 
“She can’t be delicate if she is named for me.” 

No sooner had Peggy said it than she noticed a 
shadow on Diana’s bright face, and she remembered 
that Diana was delicate. One never thought of her 
as an invalid, for she was always so cheerful. 

“I think it is nice for people to be delicate,” 
Peggy hastened to add, “ but not for dolls. If a doll 
is delicate, she might get broken.” 

“Our dolls are people,” Alide said, “are n’t they, 
Diana? ” 

“Certainly,” said Diana. “They are just as much 
people as the Rhode Island Reds are.” 

“Indeed, they are not,” said Peggy. “My dar- 
ling Rhode Island Reds are alive.” 

“Your Rhode Island Reds could be killed and 
eaten,” said Alice. “Nobody would eat a doll any 
more than they would a person. And they look like 
people, and the Rhode Island Reds don’t.” 

It was hard for Peggy to have Alice and Diana 
sleep together without wanting her. It was the first 
time in her life that she had not slept with Alice the 
night before her birthday. In fact, the only times she 
could remember their being separated at night was 
when Alice had the measles, and one other time, 
when she herself had gone for a short visit to her 
grandmother with her father. And the worst of it 


THE GREAT STORM 


131 


was, there was plenty of room for three in the wide 
bed, if it were not for the room those ridiculous dolls 
took up. Diana was her intimate friend just as much 
as she was Alice’s. Indeed, even more, because they 
liked to read the same books and to write stories. 
Diana was nearer her age than Alice’s; and yet, 
Alice liked to have these stupid dolls sleep with her 
better than her own flesh-and-blood sister! 

I Mrs. Owen noticed that Peggy looked very sober 
at supper time, and, while she was helping with the 
dishes, she said, “What is my little girl looking un- 
happy about? ” 

“Do I look unhappy, mother?” 

“Yes, what is the trouble?” 

Then Peggy told her the whole story. 

“Now, Peggy, let’s sit right down and see what we 
can do about it,” said Mrs. Owen. “You are jealous 
because Alice wants Diana all to herself. It is very 
natural, but it is not a nice feeling.” 

“I am not jealous of Diana,” said Peggy; “but I 
just can’t stand having Alice like to play with dolls 
better than to play with me. I could tell them fairy- 
stories, and see things on the wall.” 

“But that is no treat for Alice. You can do that 
any night. What she wants is somebody who likes 
to play dolls just as much as she does. It is Alice’s 
birthday we are celebrating, not yours. When your 
birthday comes, you can have Diana all to yourself, 
if you like, for the night.” 


132 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


“But I’d always rather have Alice, too — always, 
always,” said Peggy. 

“But if you were fond of dolls, and Alice had been 
saying impolite things about them, you might find 
it pleasanter to have Diana all to yourself. I suspect 
you have been saying some not very kind things about 
Alice’s family.” 

“I said Belle looked as if she had smallpox,” Peggy 
owned, “and so she does. I said Sally Waters’s feet 
were so small she could put them in her mouth.” 

“Do you think those remarks were very kind?” 

Peggy looked thoughtful. “Perhaps not exactly 
kind,” she said. 

“Now, Peggy, I am going to let you sleep with me 
. to-night,” said Mrs. Owen. 

“Truly mother,” said Peggy, with a radiant face. 

“And now we will think out just how we can make 
Alice and Diana have a good time to-morrow,” Mrs. 
Owen went on. “Suppose, while I am making cook- 
ies and biscuit for the flesh-and-blood members of the 
family, you make small ones for the dolls? I am sure 
that will delight the little mothers. To tell the truth, 
Peggy, I did n’t like dolls a bit better than you do 
when I was a little girl. I liked playing around with 
my brother William and your father a great deal 
better.” 

Peggy felt a little happier when Diana said, in a 
disappointed tone, “Is n’t Peggy going to sleep with 
us?” 


133 


THE GREAT STORM 

“No,” said Alice; “ the dolls are going to sleep with 
us. Peggy does n’t care about dolls. I am going to 
have a real feast of dolls, for once in my life.” 

“And I am going to sleep with mother,” said Peggy 
proudly. 

“You are not!” said Alice, thinking Peggy was 
joking. 

Peggy could hear the children’s voices going on and 
on in the other room, as she lay in bed. It made her 
feel lonely. Her mother always sat up late, so she 
would not come to bed for a long time. She tried to 
amuse herself by seeing things on the wall, but this 
was no fun without Alice. The voices in the other 
room went on and on until Peggy grew drowsy, and 
at last, fell asleep. 

She was waked up by the slamming of a blind. The 
wind had risen, and she felt the cold air blowing in at 
her window. She looked at the face of the illuminated 
clock, which stood at the side of her mother’s bed, 
on a small table. The hands pointed to ten minutes 
past ten. Her mother would soon come upstairs. 
The wind was so cold she got up to shut the win- 
dow, and her bare feet walked into a snowdrift. 
Yes, there was really quite a little mound of snow on 
the floor, for it had begun snowing fast just before 
supper. She stopped to brush it up, and then took 
the electric candle and went into the other room to see 
if there was any snow coming in there. But there was 
not, for the windows were not on the same side of 


134 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


the house. She could see by the light of her candle 
that the bed was, indeed, too full to have left any 
place for her. On the outer side of the white pillow 
lay Belle, her staring brown eyes wide open; and next 
her was Sally Waters, peacefully sleeping; and beyond 
her, the doll that was Diana’s namesake. Then came 
Alice herself, fast asleep, her long, dark lashes against 
her cheek, and a happy look on her face. Beyond her 
lay Peggy Owen Carter, also asleep; and next to 
Alice’s namesake, and on the inner side of the bed 
and beyond her, lay Diana herself, fast asleep, with 
slightly parted lips. 

“Well,” said Peggy, “I never saw anything like 
that before. She has dolls on both sides of her. I 
guess she has a feast of dolls, for once in her life.” 

Peggy hurried back to bed, for her feet were icy 
cold. She was still awake when her mother came up- 
stairs. 

“Mother, what do you think? I walked into a 
snowdrift,” said Peggy. 

‘‘What do you mean?” said her mother. 

So Peggy told her all about it. 

“You ought to have called me,” said Mrs. Owen. 

“But it was such fun sweeping it up and throwing 
it out of the window. We can’t throw dust out of 
the window.” 

When Peggy waked in the morning, the air was 
thick with snowflakes, and everything was heaped and 
piled high with snow. It seemed as if it would be 


THE GREAT STORM 


135 


impossible to get out to feed the hens, for not only was 
it very deep, but it was drifting with the wind. 

“It is a real blizzard,” said Mrs. Owen. “It is the 
worst storm we have had yet.” 

“Oh, there is no going to school to-day, mother,” 
Alice said, dancing about the room in glee. 

It was not often that Alice danced. She was a quiet 
child. Peggy caught Alice by the waist, and they both 
danced together, and then they each took one of 
Diana’s hands and they all three danced in a strange 
dance that they made up as they went along. It was 
full of bobbing curtsies and racing and scampering 
about the room. They ended by coming up to Mrs. 
Owen and making more curtsies, just the number 
that Alice was years old. 

“Madam, it is your daughter’s birthday,” said 
Peggy. Madam, the Frost King has decided to 
celebrate it by his best blizzard. He has planned it so 
we can’t go to school, and so Diana can make us a 
longer visit. All hail to the Frost King I” 

“I wish the Frost King had planned it so we could 
get our milk this morning,” said Mrs. Owen; “he 
did n’t tell me he was planning the blizzard, and now 
I haven’t a bit of milk in the house.” 

“The Frost King says the water is all right for 
drinking,” said Peggy. “He says it is so cold it 
doesn’t have to be put on ice.” 

The children had a merry time eating their break- 
fast, although even Peggy’s fertile imagination could 


136 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


think of no way by which the Frost King could make 
oatmeal taste well without milk. 

Suddenly Mrs. Owen had a bright idea. “We can 
have maple syrup on our oatmeal,” she said. 

This was, indeed, a treat, and so were the eggs the 
Rhode Island family had laid, and there was deli- 
cious toast and butter, and oranges, as an especial 
birthday treat. 

“I am afraid old Michael won’t be able to come and 
shovel us out, on account of his rheumatism,” said 
Mrs. Owen. 

Peggy and Alice put on their raincoats and rubber 
boots and stocking caps, and they took their snow- 
shovels and tried to make a path to the hen-house. 
Diana watched them, with her face close to the 
kitchen window. Peggy stopped to wave to Diana, 
and lost her footing, tumbling down into the snow. 
She got up, shaking herself and laughing heartily. 
Diana watched the children as their eyes grew brighter 
and their cheeks redder and redder with their exercise. 
The snow powdered them over with flakes from head 
to foot. It was impossible to make a good path, for 
the wind kept blowing the snow back, but they made 
enough headway so they could get out to Hotel Hen- 
nery. They came back to the house for food for its 
hungry inhabitants. There were others to be fed — 
blue jays, chickadees, sparrows, and crows; and then 
a flock of pheasants. And there was Lady Janet. 
She could not understand why there was no milk in 


137 


THE GREAT STORM 

her saucer and looked at them with beseeching eyes. 

As the long morning passed, and Peggy and Mrs. 
Owen were busy in the kitchen, making the large bis- 
cuits and cookies, and the small ones, even Alice had 
begun to get tired of playing with dolls. 

“Can’t we come out in the kitchen and help you?” 
she asked. 

“No, I don’t need your help.” 

“Can’t Peggy come in and play games with us?” 

“No, Peggy is helping me.” 

“I am very busy,” said Peggy. “You can play 
games by yourselves.” 

Then Alice realized how flat every game seemed 
without Peggy. It was all right so long as they were 
playing dolls, but one could not play dolls all day. 
The geography game would be a pleasant change. 
Alice proposed having an afternoon tea for the dolls, 
and Diana agreed, although it did not seem quite a 
suitable hour for it in the middle of the morning. 

“I wish mother would let us go out into the 
kitchen and help her,” Alice said. 

They had had too much play, and this was the 
truth. A little real work would have been interesting. 

“I guess they are making some kind of a surprise 
for your birthday dinner,” said Diana. 

And when dinner came, and they saw the big bis- 
cuits and the little ones, and large cookies with cara- 
way seeds in them, and the small ones, they were 
perfectly delighted. 


138 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


The dolls were all allowed to come to the table with 
them, and, as there were four people and five dolls, 
each doll was well looked after. Alice had two on one 
side of her and one on the other. It was a merry 
meal; Peggy, having made up her mind to play dolls, 
did it thoroughly. She answered for the dolls in a 
different voice for each. Her namesake, Peggy Owen 
Carter, who sat beside her, ate so much her little 
mother had to reprove her. 

“ My dear child, you must n’t be so greedy,” said 
Diana. “I should think you had never tasted lamb 
stew before.” 

“I have n’t,” said Peggy Owen Carter, in a shrill, 
high-pitched voice that made the children laugh. 
“We only have such things as legs of lamb and roast 
beef and turkey and broiled chickens at our house.” 

“Oh, please, can’t we help to do the dishes?” Diana 
asked, when the lively meal was over. 

“Yes, you and Alice can do the dishes inside while 
Peggy helps me in the kitchen with the pots and 
pans.” 

“Can’t Peggy help us?” Alice asked. 

She had learned the value of Peggy. Everything 
was so much more exciting when she was around. 

“You can begin by yourselves, and I’ll be through 
with her pretty soon,” said Mrs. Owen. 

It kept on snowing fast all day, and, toward the 
end of the afternoon, Diana began to wonder how 
she was to get home. Mrs. Owen went to the tele- 


THE GREAT STORM 


139 


phone to call up the Carters, but could not make 
it work. She tried again and again. The line was 
out of order. This had happened once before that 
winter in another snowstorm. Diana began to look a 
little sober. She was not exactly homesick, but the 
thought of home with her father and mother and her 
two brothers seemed very pleasant. It seemed forlorn 
not to be able to reach them by telephone. They 
knew where she was, however, and it was pleasant 
to have Peggy and Alice so overjoyed at the great 
storm. 

“They never can come for Diana to-day,” Peggy 
said. “The roads are n’t broken out.” 

When night came, both Diana and Alice begged 
Peggy to sleep with them, and this was a triumph. 
They asked her to sleep in the middle, as each wanted 
Peggy next to her; and they kept her telling stories 
of what she saw on the wall until Mrs. Owen came 
up and said, “ Children, you must stop talking, or I 
shall take Peggy into my room again.” 

Peggy saw wonderful things. They were all snow 
scenes, in deep forests where every twig was coated 
with diamonds or powdered with snow. She saw the 
Frost King there, having his revels, and finally, just 
before Mrs. Owen came up to stop their talking, she 
saw the roads being broken out, and Tom and 
Christopher coming for Diana with the big sled. 
Diana went to sleep with this pleasant picture in 
her mind, and, toward the end of the next day, it 


140 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


really happened. It stopped snowing early the next 
morning, but the snow-plough did not get around in 
time for the children to go to school. It was just after 
dinner when Tom and Christopher appeared. 

“We’ve come to make a path to your front door, 
Mrs. Owen,” Tom said. “And we’ll make one to the 
hen-house, too.” 

They had brought their snow-shovels along with 
them, and they began to dig with a will. Peggy got 
her shovel and went out to help them, and Alice 
and Diana watched the merry trio from the window. 

“I can’t bear to have Diana go,” said Peggy. 
“I wish she could live here always.” 

“I’ve had a lovely time,” said Diana. 

But, like Lady Jane Grey, she was glad to get 
back to the other house. 


CHAPTER XVI 

GRANDMOTHER OWEN’S VISIT 

There were other great storms before the winter 
was over, and spring was very late that year, but 
when it did come it seemed to the children as if the 
world had never been so beautiful. This was the joy 
of living in New England. There was no monotony 
about the seasons. After a winter with banks and 
banks of snow, and coasting enough to satisfy one’s 
wildest dreams, the snow vanished; and the brown 
earth soon became ready for planting; the same mira- 
cle began again, of green points poking their heads 
up to the light. 

And if other springs had been delightful, this was 
so thrilling Peggy wanted to dance and shout with 
joy — for her own dearly beloved Henrietta Cox was 
sitting on a dozen eggs, and one day some downy, 
fluffy chickens were hatched out. Yes, actually, 
these tiny creatures — living, moving, breathing 
creatures, all of them Peggy’s very own — were 
chipping their shells, and making their entrance into 
this wonderful world. Alice took the chickens more 
calmly, but she was greatly interested in them in her 
quiet way. 

“Oh, mother, I do hope grandmother likes chick- 
ens,” Peggy said, when Mrs. Owen told the children 


142 PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 

that she had a letter from their grandmother, fixing 
the time of her annual spring visit. 

“Peggy, you never seem to be able to think of but 
one thing at a time,” said her mother. “What dif- 
ference will it make whether your grandmother likes 
chickens? She won’t have to do anything about 
them.” 

The children were very much interested in help- 
ing arrange the spare room for their grandmother. 
Alice got out the prettiest bureau cover from the 
linen closet, and the children helped their mother 
wash the china for the washstand. It was pretty 
china, covered with small pink roses, with green 
leaves. And there was a pincushion, that was white 
over pink, on the bureau. Peggy went out and picked 
some of the hemlock and put that in a green vase on 
the table. 

It was a pleasant excitement to have their grand- 
mother come. She always brought them presents. 
She was a quiet, dignified woman, and she had 
brown eyes very like Alice’s, but her hair, that was 
once brown, was now snow-white. They all went 
down to the station to meet her, and they rode back 
with her in the taxi, and that was great fun. 

Their grandmother was not a person who expressed 
a great deal, so, when she came into the house and 
said, “Mary, how pleasant you have made this lit- 
tle house look,” they were all very much pleased. 

The children could hardly wait for her trunk to be 


GRANDMOTHER OWEN’S VISIT 143 


unpacked, for they were eager to see what she had 
brought. They did not venture to go into her room; 
she liked to have her room to herself. She was tired, 
and it was almost supper-time before she came down. 
She had some things in her hands. 

“I have some blue gingham here for a dress for 
Peggy, and some pink for Alice,” she said. “I have 
brought some material for new white dresses, too.” 

The children were delighted with the thought of 
their new frocks. Their grandmother brought them 
each a book besides. 

Lady Janet wandered into the parlor. 

“You have the same cat, I see,” said their grand- 
mother. 

“Oh, no, grandmother, she^s different,” Alice 
said. “Don’t you see how different she is? She’s her 
daughter. She has n’t so many stripes on her tail, and 
she’s a lighter gray. And she’s got a different char- 
acter.” 

“Has she?” said their grandmother, as pussy began 
to sharpen her claws on the sofa. “It seems to me her 
nature is very much the same. Do you let her come 
into the parlor?” 

“Sometimes,” said Mrs. Owen. “If the children see 
that she does n’t go up into the bedrooms and make 
small footmarks on the bed quilts — that is all I ask.” 

“You don’t like cats very well, do you, grand- 
mother?” said Peggy. 

“Yes, I like them in their proper place.’* 


144 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


“What is their proper place?” Peggy asked. 

“ I like to see a cat sitting patiently in front of a 
mouse-hole, or lying on the bricks in front of the 
kitchen stove; but I don’t like to see it scratching 
the parlor furniture.” 

“Neither do I,” said Mrs. Owen. “Put Lady Janet 
out into the kitchen, Alice.” 

They all went out to supper, and again the older 
Mrs. Owen praised the dainty appearance of the 
table. 

‘^Mary, I don’t know how you have done it, but 
you have made this tiny house just as attractive as 
your large one.” 

“All the paper and paint are new and fresh here, 
and I got rid of all my ugly furniture and have only 
kept the old pieces.” 

“I wish you would come and do my house over for 
me. And, by the way, I am hoping you and the chil- 
dren will come and spend three months with me this 
summer. I am sure the sea air will do the children 
good.” 

She did not notice how their faces clouded over. 

The mere suggestion filled them with despair. 
Leave her beloved Rhode Island Reds, Peggy was 
thinking, just as Henrietta had hatched out twelve 
downy, fluffy balls? Why, they would be big chick- 
ens when they came back. Leave Lady Janet? was 
Alice’s thought. No sea-bathing and boating could 
make up for the loss of her friendly little face. 


GRANDMOTHER OWEN’S VISIT 


145 


“Could I take Lady Janet with me, grandmother? ” 
Alice asked. 

“I hardly think so. A cat does not like to be 
moved.” 

“It is very kind of you to think of it,” said Mrs. 
Owen, “but I am afraid I shall have to stay right 
here by my garden and my hens.” 

“Oh, have you hens?” Mrs. Owen asked. 

“Yes, grandmother, seven of them and a cock,” 
Peggy said; “and twelve teenty, tinety chickens, the 
dearest, cunningest things. Don’t you remember,” 
she added, reproachfully, “how I wrote and told 
you we had a birthday surprise party of hens for 
mother? ” 

“I do remember it now.” 

Peggy said no more about the hens. How terrible 
it was to be so old that the idea of seven hens and a 
cock and twelve chickens made no more impres- 
sion on one than that! And yet. Miss Betsy Porter 
must be nearly as old as her grandmother, and Miss 
Betsy was deeply interested in hens. After all, it was 
the kind of person you were, and not the age. 

Two or three days later, as Mrs. Owen was writ- 
ing letters, she heard Peggy say to Alice, “I like it 
better when grandmother is n’t here.” 

“So do I,” said Alice. “I wonder when she it 
going home?” 

Mrs. Owen looked up from her writing. “She is 
going to stay ten days longer, and then, if I can per- 


146 PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 

suade her, she will come back to us for the whole 
summer.’’ 

Mrs. Owen turned to look at her little girls. Their 
faces wore a discontented, rebellious look. 

“Did it ever occur to you that it is of no impor- 
tance whether you like the way things are or not.?^” 
she asked. “You are two very small, unimportant 
people. Did you ever stop to think what your 
grandmother has had to bear?” 

They had never thought anything about it. Their 
minds had been entirely taken up with their own 
affairs. 

“Your father was your grandmother’s only child,” 
Mrs. Owen went on, and her voice was unsteady. 
“She owned the big house we used to live in, and 
every summer they came to it, so that your father 
and your Uncle William and I played together when 
we were children. When your father became a doc- 
tor and married me and settled down here, she gave 
us the house for a wedding present. Think, Peggy, 
for a minute, of what it meant to you to lose your 
father. But you had only known him a few short 
years, and you and Alice are so young you have a 
whole rich life before you. But your grandmother is 
not young; she had had him all his life, and he was 
her only child.” 

There were tears in her mother’s eyes. Peggy had 
seldom seen them there. She slipped down from her 
chair and went over to her mother, putting an arm 


GRANDMOTHER OWEN’S VISIT 


147 


about her waist. It was not of her grandmother that 
she was thinking, but of her mother, who had lost so 
much, and yet was so brave. 

Mrs. Owen dried her eyes and was silent for a 
minute. 

Then she said: ‘‘Your grandmother is a very lonely 
person.” 

“But she lives in the city where there are lots and 
lots of people,” said Alice. 

“Yes, and she has many friends and acquaintances, 
but that does not prevent her being lonely. We are the 
only near relations she has. You remember how she 
wanted to take Peggy and bring her up. I could not 
consent to that. Then she wanted us all to spend the 
summer with her, and we all of us like better to be at 
home. But I think she would really like to spend the 
summer with us. Now, Peggy, the better one knows 
people, the more one finds to like in them, if they are 
good people; and it is just a question of what we are 
looking out for most in this world, whether it is to 
be happy ourselves, or to try to make other people 
happy. If we are trying to be happy ourselves, all 
kinds of things turn up that we did not expect, to 
spoil our fun. After all, it is not so very impor- 
tant, whether we are happy or not.” 

“I think it is very important,” said Peggy. “And 
I guess you thought so when you were a little girl, 
mother.” 

“You are right, Peggy, I did. But now the ques- 


148 


PEGGY IN HER BLUE FROCK 


tion is, will you children try to make your grand- 
mother happy?’’ 

“I’ll try,” said Peggy; “but I just can’t stand it 
if she does n t care about my dear Rhode Island 
Reds.” 

But her grandmother did grow to appreciate them, 
to Peggy ’s great surprise. One morning she went out 
with Peggy when she fed the chickens. It was a sunny 
morning, with a soft blue sky and fleecy clouds. 

“To think of my being here all these days and not 
having seen your hens,” said Mrs. Owen. 

“I thought, if you waited until you wanted to see 
them, it would be more of a treat,” said Peggy. 

“ Who put that idea into your head, your mother? ” 

“No, I don’t want people to see them unless it is 
a treat.” 

Peggy’s grandmother looked at the little girl’s 
eager, upturned face. 

“Do you like them so much, Peggy?” she asked. 

Peggy hesitated. It was one of the great decisions 
of her life. On her answer depended the success or 
failure of her intercourse with her grandmother. If 
she said, “I like them well enough,” they would re- 
main just seven Rhode Island hens and a cock, so 
far as her grandmother was concerned. She looked 
up at her grandmother, inquiringly. Her grand- 
mother smiled down at her pleasantly. 

“I just love them!” said Peggy. 

^“What a handsome cock!” said her grandmother. 


GRANDMOTHER OWEN’S VISIT 


149 


This compliment to her favorite pleased Peggy. 
“Isn’t he a beauty?” she said. 

“He certainly is,” said her grandmother warmly. 

“His name is Mr. Henry Cox,” said Peggy, in a 
burst of confidence. 

“What a nice name,” said her grandmother. 

And so it was that the elder Mrs. Owen became in- 
terested in feeding the hens and chickens and helping 
hunt for eggs, and when she went home, at the end of 
the visit, they were all glad to think that she was to 
spend the summer with them. 

“I am glad she is coming back,” said Peggy to 
Alice. “Do you know, Alice, I think when she comes 
back, we’ll teach her the geography game.” 

“I don’t think she’s got a very nice name,” said 
Alice. “I’m glad they didn’t call me Rebecca, for 
her. And she can only live in one State.” 

“Yes,” said Peggy, “but it is such a nice State. 
She could live in Rhode Island, with all my dear 
Rhode Island Reds.” 


THE END 


) 


CAMBRIDGE . MASSACHUSETTS 
U . S . A 





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